Wing, Heart, and Sword
by Sunlitsong
Summary: What is this story about? It’s about puzzles and things becoming whole and things splitting apart. It’s about a raven, a hornbill, a parrot, and a hawk. And most of all it’s about a girl.
1. Choosing a Side

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

Thanks to the creators of the game for inspiration. Proceed

Who is this story about? It's about puzzles and things becoming whole and things splitting apart. It's about a raven, a hornbill, a parrot, and a hawk. And most of all it's about a girl. If I said this story was about me that would only be half correct. Or maybe it is true, for nothing I am is without all that comes before. All I am left with is my heart and the memories of what happened and I will do my best to catalogue them so that she will be remembered. Chronicles of light and dark are often told but hardly ever lived. That's because those who live through them don't want to remember. But my kind has chosen that road too many times. It's time for a Nobody to remember and to learn. I will tell her story…

It was the next day. That's all the morning ever meant in Boston. Or at least to Melody it was. One more day to live and work and play. But nothing magical. As the fourteen-year-old girl padded up the sidewalk to her bus stop she watched the shadows lengthen behind the streetlamps and mailboxes. The world seamed sleepy to her as she waited for the bus with the other kids. But as she glanced up at the dwindling stars above something in the air sparkled. Sunlight no doubt.

It was a good day. School was bearable as always. The air of the bus stop hadn't changed since this morning but the rift in the sky was there. She saw it directly above her when she got off, but no one else looked up. It was filled with stars. But from the side it was a line. A portal then?

"Stop it!" Melody told herself. "You've been daydreaming too much at school and staying up too late working". She turned to look for the rift. It wasn't there. In her relief she ignored the fact that she was viewing the rift from the side and thus it was nothing more than a line.

No one was home yet. She was ready to fling her backpack on a chair when- -and she dropped it to the floor. Something was happening. A shivering like when someone has left a door open on a cold winter day and icy air was creeping in. Melody ran to the house door and thrust it open.

When had it gotten so dark out? Like a storm was coming. No- like a storm had come. Up the street- at the bus top- she had been right! The rift filled with stars a moment ago, was pulsing black and darkness was shooting out of the shadows. The ground trembled. Melody looked around wildly. Where was everyone? But in the middle of the day most adult were still at work and many kids stayed after school. A few faces stared out their windows in horror, as the street below broke apart. Melody cried out and fell hitting the pavement on her side in pain. A whooshing noise roared through the air as the broken fragments of concrete failed to fall away. Instead they rose, swirled, and were swept away as black shadows covered each piece like a certain. As she struggled to stand Melody felt herself being pulled back down. Looking over her shoulder she felt queasy. Greasy black monsters each the size of a welcome mat, with claws that hardly hurt but sank into her sides and arms as if fusing with the shadows there.

She was scared. Frightened of monsters she had never seen. But she wasn't stupid, and she wasn't panicked. These two things made it perfectly clear that if she let these things wash over her head and body it would be as dire as if she had allowed herself to sink beneath frothing waves.

"No!" she shouted and pulled herself away from the creatures. The world around her no longer existed. All there was now was empty air and the platform she was standing on. Except that standing amid the creatures was like standing on quicksand. "no, No NO!" the creatures were jumping at her head, landing on her shoulders and forcing her down. They had no snapping mouths for her to fear, only lamp like eyes that seemed to multiply as they closed over her. These lights in the darkness around her drew Melody's attention. They shown like searchlights looking forever on a dark ocean. Looking lost.

"Oh my God!" thought Melody. "These things were once human!"

That realization burned Melody. Something vile and wrong was happening. No one should be reduced to something like these creatures were. And with horror Melody realized that this was what was going to happen to her. And it Was WRONG!

In the darkness around her Melody found her hands and clasped them together.

"Please, Someone, this isn't right. This town and its people don't deserve to become shadows to terrorize. If I die here will this happen again? No!" a tear slid down her cheek. "No! I want to stop this! People and these monsters and this world, it can't all become darkness! Did we ever get a choice? Because I chose Light!"

There was a flash and the darkness was gone. Stone steps led away from a circular platform beneath Melody's feet. The circle was huge and it held a stained glass image of a heart with a chain surrounding it. Part of Melody wanted to peer over the edge of the platform, the steps had no supports and everything around it seamed to be empty air. A rushing that sounded like when the wind blows very hard, echoed through the stillness. Right in front of Melody, rising out of the floor, appeared a single shadow creature like the monsters that attacked her. It hesitated for a moment, turning it's head this way and that like some blind thing, then it shot forward, sliding across the ground, and knocked Melody's feet out from under her. Falling backward Melody raised her arm to shield herself from the creature as it reemerged from the floor a few feet away. The emptiness seamed to thicken in the air around Melody, and to her amazement, in a shining golden light, there appeared in her hand a sword.

It was a rosy golden color extending longer than her arm with a very long hilt rapped in red. The rest of the hilt was curved up around the blade on one side and pointing straight out on the other so that the blade stuck out like an ear of corn between two halves of husk. But the most amazing feature on the sword was the tip. Where it aught to have tapered to a point, the sword split into five petals that fell backward and pointed toward the hilt. In the center of the petals sat the sharp point of the sword.

The weight felt right in Melody's hand as she raised the sword in front of her and rose to her knees. The Shadow, feeling ignored, chose that moment to spring forward for a new attack. Her grip tightened on the sword and Melody swung it in an arc around bringing the point to face the creature. Staring at the lamp like, lost looking eyes, she speared the creature through.

For the moment before the creature dissolved into a splash of darkness, it appeared as though a flower had sprouted out of it's back where the sword emerged on the other side. Then it was gone.

But for a single heart that rose up out of the pool of darkness and drifted away toward the sky.

Melody's eyes followed the heart. Something about it, something called to her. Stepping forward, unknowingly off the platform, she reached out toward the heart, which paused. For a moment she was suspended like that, in the air with the heart above her, then the world around her blurred and faded. In a moment she found herself surrounded by cobblestone and brick, with her hand still reaching out to find the heart.


	2. Traverse Town

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

Thanks for daring to continue following the path this story leads. I own none of Kingdom Hearts. Let the tale lead on…

Melody stumbled and looked up at the strange buildings around her. It had the appearance of a little village, but it was lit with neon lights and large signs like moons and stars. She was in an alley just off of a courtyard lit with lampposts. Something in her heart fell. She wasn't home with her family. If she wasn't dreaming, something terrible had happened back home and she couldn't get back. She peered out into courtyard.

There were people walking around, though not many, and the air was quiet. Melody walked out and surveyed the many shops and the one giant mailbox that sat against a wall across the square. Although there was a strangeness to this new town it still seemed like a friendly village. Melody eyed a counter where a shopkeeper had a window open and was selling clothes. She didn't know where she was but she could hear snatches of language she could understand between the customers. She edged up to the counter.

"Excuse me, I'm lost. Could you tell me where I am." "Good", thought Melody, "doesn't give much away and sounds as if I were simply lost in the village not lost in the world."

The shop keeper barely looked at her since she wasn't in line to buy anything.

"You're not the first one we've got who was lost," he stated without slowing the transaction of money from the customers. When he failed to supply any more information Melody gave up and wandered up a few stairs to the side of the giant mailbox. The shop keeper looked up, realizing he might have been rude, saw her walking away and called, "Hey, what are you going that way for!"

Melody turned, startled.

"I'm just trying to find out where I am," she replied.

"Well don't go that way. 2nd and 3rd districts are evacuated. They're too dangerous to go wandering around in."

Melody stared at him. What was the danger that he seemed surprised she didn't know about. The sword that had appeared in her hand before was gone, but when Melody raised her hand, remembering how amazing it had been when it had just appeared out of nowhere, it suddenly happened again. Melody's face lit with a golden light as the gleaming gold sword appeared in her fist. Curious, Melody imagined it disappearing and the gold light swept it away again. The she called it back.

"Wow," she said aloud. She looked up at a large door ahead that had a sign nailed on it that said, "Keep Out, 2nd District". She didn't feel in danger when she held this sword in her hand. She took a step toward the door.

"Oh, you're going to the second district too, huh?"

Melody saw a girl with bright blond hair come out of a doorway to the right.

"I totally dared my friends to go in with me but they all said it was too dangerous," girl said. "Uh-shaw, like plenty of people are still staying at the hotel and they haven't had their hearts snatched. My name's Jennifer, and if you're going in I'll totally go with you."

"I'm Melody," Melody said staring at the girl. Heart snatched? "I think it's a good idea to go with someone else too," she said and the two girls pushed open the heavy door.

The lights were dimmer in the 2nd district, and it was completely empty of people although a few lights gleamed from a large building with a hotel sign over its door and from the windows of a factory ahead. Melody sort of liked the design of this whole city. It was colorful.

"Okay, lets get a hotel brochure, to prove we've been here and head back," Jennifer said happily. Melody followed her down a flight of stairs looking around curiously.

"Jennifer, what kind of people live in this town?" she asked.

"Oh, anyone who's lost their home to the- oh my gosh!"

They had reached the hotel door when dark black creatures fell out from under the awning. Jennifer screamed and Melody drew out her sword. Now was the first time Melody noticed that the hilt now bore a glowing heart in its center. As she slashed at the lunging shadows she heard a muffled yelp from behind her.

Jennifer was turned away from her, but Melody could still see the claw marks on her arms and the Shadow that had just jumped and landed on her chest. The other girl's body twitched momentarily, then sunk to the ground in a swirl of blackness that rose up to form another Shadow.

"No!" cried Melody horrified. She swung at the Shadows that were swarming in around her. When she hit them hard they dissolved into nothing and a swirling pink heart spun out of them. To Melody's surprise these hearts met with her sword and disappeared. Melody felt a surge of power from the hilt and her next couple of swings took out more Shadows than before. But Melody herself was wearing out. The energy to swing the sword fast enough to stop the creatures jumping on her was almost spent. She staggered against the hotel door and fell backward into the lobby as a girl with a long brown braid pulled it open.

"Get in!" she cried and slammed the door once Melody's feet were in. The shadows started pooling through a crack in the door where a different sort of creature had stopped it from closing. The new creature had the same eyes as the Shadows but it wore a helmet and armor emblazoned with a crest. "Leon!" the new girl called.

A shot like a gun echoed down the hall and one of the Shadows exploded. Melody turned to see a tall boy with long dark hair and a scar on his face holding, not a pistol, but a sward with a hilt like a gun's handle. He let another bullet fire and another Shadow went down, as the braided girl pulled Melody down the hall and into a room.

"Yuffie," she called to a girl who was standing in the room, "get ready to leave through the balcony if there turns out to be more than even Leon can take out."

Melody grabbed the girl's arm.

"What are those things?" she asked staring at the door where they could hear more gunshots and the rustling of the Shadows.

"Heartless," the girl called Yuffie offered and thoughtlessly pulled out a throwing star from her belt and took a stance facing the door.

"hardly anyone ventures to the 2nd district nowadays," said the brown haired girl. "You're the first to dare since Sora left."

"Excuse me," said Melody sinking onto the bed and catching her breath, watching the door. "But what is wrong with this town? Why are those creatures attacking people?"

"The same thing that is wrong with the other worlds, the heartless are trying to steal everyone's hearts." the girl replied.

"I'm Aerith, that's Yuffie, and that's Leon out in the hall," Aerith said nodding to the girl with short black hair and at the door where there was now less noise.

They all watched nervously until it opened and the dark haired guy walked in, storing his sword in a holster on his back.

"There aren't any more coming," he said. "They flock like vultures to a kill, but if there is no commotion they won't come back quickly."

He nodded to Melody. "It's not safe coming into the 2nd district, even if you have a weapon," he said gruffly. Melody stood up and stowed her sword away.

"I wanted to find answers. Can you please tell me what's going on? Just a few minutes ago I was home and now all these creatures are swarming around-"

"Heartless," said Aerith and she laid a comforting hand on Melody's shoulder. "It may be strange now, but for a while now worlds have been disappearing, and people who have lost their worlds turn up here."

Leon nodded. "The Heartless have been stealing the hearts of people and their worlds. Whoever lose their heart to the Heartless become Heartless themselves."

"Like Jennifer," said Melody sadly. She looked at Aerith pleadingly. "But how can the worlds just disappear? Couldn't we find them again?"

"You're welcome to look," Leon said dismissively. "But even though the worlds are connected now, only a few stay nearby. Even a gummyship can't travel too far away from Traverse Town."

"A gummyship?" asked Melody. "Isn't it possible that I could go look in one of those?"

"Our friend Cid builds gummyships," said Yuffie and she walked over. "Too tell you the truth, you're the first one to think of finding their world again. Most try to find their friends who have ended up here."

"If anyone I know comes here where else would they have to go?" asked Melody. "I'm more interested in finding a way of making things right." She held her sword tightly. "Can you take me to meet Cid?"

"Cid lives over here," said Yuffie later as the reentered the 1st District.

"You want to borrow a gummyship?"

The blond man had a piece of straw clutched in his teeth and he almost choked on it when he heard Melody's request.

"Geeze, do you know how hard it is to fly one these?" he said gesturing to the large geometric ships behind him. Only one was fully constructed.

"Well then is there anyone who can take me out in one so I can look around?" protested Melody. "I need to know where I am."

"Don't know what good it'll do," Cid said scratching his neck. "But I go out time to time to the worlds nearby to collect items to keep up business here. If you want to come along on one of those jumps, I guess I could take you up. More hands to carry back items anyway."

"Thank you," Melody said, relieved. When she had heard that there were other worlds that could be explored she felt hope of finding her own world spring up in her. There was a lot of magic going on here, it felt. And with hearts and shadows and worlds involved, she definitely wanted to help. It felt like something she was meant to do. She swung her sword in her hand and remembered what she had thought before her world had disappeared. That she chose light. Yes, she thought. I need to do something about this.


	3. Hunter

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

The same old story, I own naught but imagination.

A few hours later Melody was standing in the cockpit of a large yellow gummyship as Cid worked the controls in front. Melody had marveled at how much bigger the gummy ships were inside, than they appeared outside. There were two side cabins and a small area below deck where Cid could fix any mechanical problems the vessel had. Melody peered out the window as Traverse Town faded behind them. From up here the town was a round floating dot and the sky around them was a deep star speckled blue. But as the ship started turning Melody realized that the stars must be other worlds as a small world covered in clouds and Corinthian columns passed through her range of vision.

"You're gonna want to sit down now," came Cid's voice from the captain's seat. Melody almost fell into her seat as the ship wheeled around and sped off.

"You gotta be quick if you don't want to attract the Heartless. They'll swarm in if we linger."

Melody saw several dark spots in the sky above them. They were smaller than worlds, maybe the size of their ship but they moved so agilely that they could not be mistaken for mechanical.

"Those are Heartless?" Melody asked pointing to the dots.

"Yep, don't want a confrontation on the going out, if our ship was damaged we wouldn't get home. It's the coming back when we can make ourselves known."

The ship was slowing down and a world with a white mountain range and a large red square shaped building, loomed up from below them. The gummyship began to descend. It landed on an outcropping in the mountains where there were paths both leading up and down the mountain. Cid hopped out.

"Some worlds only pass through now and then, and some just stay put. This one hasn't come through before," said Cid surveying the snow and rocks. He cracked his knuckles and turned to Melody.

"Okay, to business. Items fall into worlds all the time. Don't ask me where they come from. But I collect them, see, to sell and to use on my gummyships, so scope around behind rocks and in trees find any that fell up here. Just look for these boxes." He pulled a small empty chest from a compartment on the ship. Then he walked off down one trail, calling back, "Don't go down the mountain, we don't want to interact with anyone who doesn't know that the worlds are connected. We'll meet back in a half hour."

Melody was left alone in the snow. She shivered and trudged up a rocky path overlooking a spanning city below. Suddenly she heard the crunch of many boots on snow. She remembered what Cid had said about meeting anyone and hurried into the thick tree cover to the side of the path. The twigs crackled and she froze not far off the trail trying to blend in with the trees.

A group of men had entered the path. Their thick furs and heavy looking weapons of assorted styles seemed weightless to the men who were heavily muscled and thick set. Many had oily black beards and most wore animal skin hats or helmets. Only one man who stood at the front had no covering on his head. His long black hair wiped around his face in the mountain wind and his frightening yellow eyes scanned the snowy outcropping suspiciously. His clothes were a finer material than the other men's and he had a fur-trimmed hood. This was obviously the leader. Melody shrank farther back into the woods.

The leader drew his men to a halt with a slice of his hand and he turned and peered down the mountainside. The gruff voice of one of the men as he muttered something to the leader filtered back to Melody's hiding place. It sounded apologetic and was quiet to respect the man's authority. One word did reach Melody though.

"-Shan Yu?"

"No," came the voice of the leader. "We wait here for them to come, then when they try to surprise us- well, we'll surprise them."

Melody was startled. The language the man was speaking didn't sound like English, in fact it sounded like Chinese. But Melody found that she could understand it.

A piercing shriek echoed through the air as a dark brown hawk wheeled around above the group. The leader- Shan Yu- held out his arm, where Melody saw he wore a leather glove. The hawk landed on the glove and Shan Yu reached out and pulled a scrap of red cloth from the hawk's beak. He smiled as he fingered the cloth.

"They're close," he said quietly to his men. They snickered among themselves.

Who does he keep talking about, wondered Melody. But she had to admire how well trained the hawk was. It had a wild look in its eyes and it twitched it's wings occasionally but other than that it saw calmly on the leader's arm without any jesses or a hood. And if it was trained to help its master know where his enemy's were, than it was a very well trained hawk indeed.

Melody's arm brushed a twig and it snapped softly. Shan Yu's eyes narrowed and he turned alert toward the grove of trees. Melody shrank back. She pulled herself down into a bush and watched as the large powerful leader stepped as softly into the woods as if there were not twigs underfoot. He paused and sniffed the air, and took a few steps closer to Melody's hiding place.

There was a whizzing sound, and Shan Yu turned his body lightning quick, startling the bird on his arm into opening its wings to keep balance, shielding himself and getting out of the line of fire of a red feathered arrow that plunged deep into the hawk's wing. With a cry a troop of men in different uniform began shooting down on Shan Yu and his men from up the mountain face. Shan Yu's men used the trees for cover and shot their own arrows up at the troop. Shan Yu cast barely a flicker of a satisfied glance at the fallen bird and joined his own troop of men.

Melody tried to make herself as small as possible as arrows rained down on the little grove of trees and the group of fierce men ran between trees nearby. A few feet away she could see the poor hawk struggling angrily, shrieking repeatedly, with a crazed look in its eyes. The arrow was lodged far up the wing.

Suddenly Shan Yu pulled a crooked silver sward from his belt and roared out a war cry that was answered by one from even farther up the mountain than the troop of soldiers above them. Another band of Shan Yu's men had lay in wait for the troop of come up the middle path and start firing down on the first group, and then began their own attack from above. With a roar the yellow-eyed man led his group up the path and another poured down upon the troop to sandwich the surprised soldiers in between.

Seeing the last of the men leave, Melody took this opportunity to make a break for the gummyship. But as she left the tree cover the cries of the injured hawk made her pause. Gritting her teeth she turned back, scooped up the bird, got smacked in the head with its good wing and tore over the rocks and down the path.

Cid was already in the gummyship and waving at her to hurry up.

"What are you doing with that-"

"We're taking him with us," said Melody jumping past Cid as he held the door open.

"What and you didn't at least bring any items?" he said grumpily as he slammed the door shut and returned to the control panel.

The hawk was scratching at Melody's shirt with its talons, but the loss of blood had made it weaker. That didn't stop it though from sinking it's beak into her arm.

"Hey, now look what you did," Melody growled sternly. "None of that."

She pulled her hoodie off and threw it over the bird, then wrestled the injured wing out. The bird angrily objected to the hoodie but was too weak and off balance to get its head out. So it's right wing burst out and created a strong breeze as Melody pulled the arrow out. The bird shrieked and tried to hit Melody with its good right wing, but she clamped her hands around its shoulders and held it still.

"Stop," she said softly. "I'm sure you're used to a firm hand, and you don't have anything to fear from me. Just calm down."

The bird's fierce yellow eye peered out at her from between the folds of the hoodie. It shuddered and held still under Melody's hand, as she continued to murmur soothing sounds and stroke its feathers.

The gummyship landed in Traverse Town shortly and Cid banged into the cabin complaining,

"I didn't agree to transport any birds. This here ship is for item transport only. Plus, that thing smells."

The hawk's stillness evaporated and it flung itself out of Melody's hands and started leaping around the cabin in its attempts to get airborne with one wing.

"Cid you upset him!" admonished Melody trying to seize control of the hawk. "Is there any kind of item I can use to heal his wound?"

"I don't waste items on birds, they're to sell!"

"Well then he'll just get blood all over your ship then," said Melody.

Cid huffed, walked over, and whacked open a panel in the side of the ship. He pulled out a bottle from a little yellow chest.

"Give it this Elixir," he said handing it to her.

"Thank you Cid."

For a while they both tried to catch the hawk again but he was brazenly fierce toward Cid and not afraid enough of Melody to be herded around the cabin. At last Melody sent Cid out into the hall and sat down on the floor. She caught the bird's yellow eye.

"Now come here you little hunter," she said softly. She waited as the hawk dragged it hurt wing around the cabin some, giving him time to calm down and focus on his injury. As the bird became more aware of his situation the pain slowed him down and made him more docile. At last he slouched over to Melody who quietly smeared the Elixir over the open wound.

The hawk shrieked, but not in a pained way, for the Elixir was already healing up the wound. It was more of a begrudging recognition of Melody's service to him.

Cid opened the cabin door to check in on them. The hawk hissed and scratched the floor with his talons. Melody laughed this time, for it seamed that the hawk just generally did not like Cid. Suddenly both wings opened and in a burst of feathers, the hawk was airborne and shooting straight toward Cid. The man ducked and the brown bullet lopsidedly paddled through the open door of the gummyship.

"Hunter!" cried Melody. Cid and her rushed to the door to see the ungainly bird soar off over the rooftops of Traverse Town.

"Great, one more monster loose in Traverse Town," muttered Cid and returned to the ship to fetch the items he had found in the mountains. Melody scowled at him and left the ship.


	4. Finding A Purpose

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

The tale rolls on, still I don't own anything, read on…

Melody's old clothes had been worn badly on the trip, the shoes were water-soaked from the snow and there were holes in the jeans from rocks and branches. Melody didn't know how long she was going to be staying in this world, but the time called for a change of clothes.

After returning to the clothes seller she had met before Melody realized that she had no money with which to do so. Fortunately a passing Aerith saw her plight and offered to loan her some of her own clothes.

"Most new people to Traverse Town, find some kind of profession to take up. That's why there are so many shops here," said Aerith as they snuck through the 2nd district to the hotel. There were signs of attempted renovation of the abandoned part of town but now and then they glimpsed heartless eyes in the alleys.

"I help heal those who arrive here wounded, after their worlds disappear," continued Aerith, leading Melody up the stairs to one of the hotel rooms. "So I would start thinking of some way to make money."

Aerith lent Melody a nice pair of purple boots. They fit like a glove although they appeared very large on the outside. She offered Melody a blue skirt but Melody said she wasn't much of a skirt person. So they found a pair of white gold pants for her instead. The hoodie had been shredded by the hawk but Melody suggested they save the hood and sew it onto the blue long sleeved top she wore. Surveying the effect Aerith brought out the blue skirt again to match the top, which Melody wore over the white gold pants. Melody felt pleased with her new clothes and thanked Aerith many times. She walked out onto the balcony.

"Oh, hello Leon," she heard Aerith say inside. The dark haired boy leaned his gunblade against a chair and sat down.

"Sora sent back another Ansam Report he found," he said handing Aerith a few sheets of paper. Melody walked back into the room.

"Who's Sora?" she asked from the doorway. This was the second time she had heard that name.

Leon and Aerith looked at each other. Leon stood up.

"He's the keybearer," he said. "A boy from another world who is sealing the worlds against the heartless."

"He's visiting other worlds finding these reports by an old leader from our world," said Aerith. "Ansam the wise was our leader, and he was doing research on the heartless before they all attacked."

"So you think he might have found out how to stop them?" asked Melody. "Why couldn't he stop them when they first attacked?"

"We're hoping his research combined with our experiences with the heartless will help us stop them," said Leon.

"Like how a heart comes out of a heartless when you kill it," said Melody. The others looked at her. Melody bit her lip.

"The keyblade is supposed to bring order to the worlds," said Leon, looking at Melody. "But you're the only other one I've heard of receiving a sword when your world disappeared." He and Aerith considered Melody.

She shrugged. She didn't really like the thought that only one boy was destined to fix what was wrong with the worlds. Too much seemed wrong to leave it to someone else.

A rustle of wings was heard outside. Melody hurried out to the balcony expecting to see the hawk. Instead she heard a caw and saw the black shape of a raven outlined against the sky.

"Maleficent," said Leon, joining Melody on the balcony and watching the bird fly away.

"Who?"

"She's the one responsible for the heartless attacking our worlds," said Leon. "That bird is her minion. Its been spying on us. Maleficent has been teaming up with the heartless and some other crooks to try to take over the world."

"If she's the one behind this why hasn't someone stopped her yet?" cried Melody.

"We would if we knew where her stronghold was, but then we'd need to find a way of stopping her," said Aerith sadly.

"Humf," Melody walked past her and out of the room. She left the hotel quietly and wandered across the street. The windows of a tall citadel gleamed purple at her and suddenly Melody wanted to be somewhere high. Back home she remembered visiting tall building in the city and gazing down at the small streets below, watching peregrine falcons dive off the high rises.

In a niche higher than the street Melody glimpsed the rungs of a ladder. Climbing onto the ledge of the stairs that led down to the street she could just barely jump across to the balcony of another building and then into the niche.

Shadow Heartless rose from the shadows around her but Melody swiped at them with her blade and the creatures disappeared into wisps of black. Melody remembered Jennifer and suddenly felt sad. Then she noticed the last heart freed from the heartless spiral through the air and come to rest in the hilt of her sword. She stared at it. Where the heart had vanished the heart shaped mark on the hilt pulsed many colors.

"What am I meant to do?" whispered Melody staring at her sword. She started climbing.

I hate not doing something to help, she thought. I could never just settle here where someone is attacking these worlds. But am I just supposed to wait until that keybearer person has his shot? She pulled herself onto the roof, the night sky full of stars. She held the flower toped sward in front of her.

"The hearts want to help me fight," she said to the sky. "I can feel them here in my sword giving me strength. I'll find who ever is leading the heartless and get them to stop." But then she considered herself, her own limited power despite the gift of this remarkable sword. She sat down on the rooftop, letting her legs hang down over the edge. She saw the raven sitting a few rooftops away.

"So what's your story Trickster?" she asked it half mockingly. "Too tame to escape your mistress, or too confused to know who would be the right person to serve." She thought of the hawk and how Shan Yu had just left it to die.

"You can tell, you know," she called to the raven. "If a master treats you the right way, you want to serve them. If this Maleficent cares about you, why should I get mad at you for spying on me? You don't need to care about morals and why, you're a bird." She looked away. The raven side stepped bashfully then chose to fly to another roof farther away. Melody watched the raven ponderingly. Suddenly the raven squawked and flew out of the way, as a brown shape angrily flapped in its face. The raven defended itself with its wings and landed a few ledges down. The hawk swooped up to perch beside Melody. He pridefully let go of a piece of cloth and dropped it in her lap. It looked as though it had been torn from a wind kite.

"Is this for me?" asked Melody. She picked up the piece of cloth. The hawk bobbed its head with a surprisingly lucid look in its eyes. Melody blinked.

"Wait, can- can you understand me?" she asked. The hawk nodded again, its piercing eyes on Melody's. "Well now," she whispered and looked down at the raven below. It was no longer beadily watching her, but staring down at the empty street below, its shoulders hunched.

"Hunter," asked Melody, naming the hawk in a way that felt fitting, and the bird seemed to accept the name without complaint. "Will you help me fix what's wrong, with the worlds and the Heartless?" When he heard the Heartless mentioned Hunter ruffled his feathers unhappily. "You can scout and escape if they attacked me, and I bet even defend yourself against them," continued Melody and Hunter puffed himself up, giving Melody a look that said, of course I can, I could fight anything. Smiling Melody held out an arm and the hawk jumped on. Melody winced.

The first thing they needed to do, Melody decided, get her something to protect her arm from the hawk's fierce claws. They returned to the first district, where Hunter preferred to watch from overhead rather than mingle below, and Melody bartered for a pair of wrist guards with a gummy rock she had found up on the rooftops. Then she steeled herself and went to talk to Cid.

"You want to borrow a gummyship!?" he shouted when she had made her request.

"Just so I can make a living," said Melody innocently. "I'll be able to visit other worlds for you and bring you back items to sell and you can pay me a third of what you get for them."

Cid scratched his stubbly chin and chewed his piece of straw some. "You'll need to learn to pilot it first," he said mulling over the idea of a way to expand his business. "If Sora's letting a duck and some gerbils pilot his, then I guess you'll be able to pick it up." He frowned at Melody. "But don't you go breaking it, yehear?"

Melody couldn't contain her delight as Cid showed her around the cockpit of one of the smaller ships. When he pronounced her knowledge of the various levers and buttons flight worthy she left his shop and returned to the hotel.

Holing up in one of the rooms and leaving a window open for Hunter to go in and out, Melody fell asleep with a firm excitement that tomorrow, at last, she would be going out to visit the worlds, and to maybe find a way to save them as well.


	5. Shadowlands

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

It's the Circle Of Life! And I don't own anything! So Please read on…

She wasn't as confident the next day as she wobbled the gummyship out of Traverse Town. Hunter perched on the passenger seat and shrieked every time she made the ship shake.

"You know it's not as easy as it looks," she yelled at him as the little craft made its uneven trek through space. Eyeing the gauges and meters Melody finally pulled on a lever beneath the dashboard.

"Found it," she said triumphantly. "I left the parking break on." Hunter cher-eed sullenly.

Enjoying the smoother ride Melody piloted the gummyship calmly, watching the beautiful swirls of deep space. She wasn't sure where she was heading, but she kept one eye on the radar watching for Heartless and another on the navigational read out to know when to turn back. However Melody wanted to visit another world before she had to turn back. She hoped she would find one before she got too far from Traverse Town.

Hunter spotter the dark spots in the sky before they appeared on the radar. He screeched and landed on Melody's shoulder.

"Ow," she pulled him off and set him on her arm. Then they both watched the black dot warily. The Heartless ships were far off, and since Melody's ship was below them, the Heartless might not even notice them. Observing the ships Melody noticed how they flew in squadrons and while the whole group stayed together above them, there was a traffic way of Heartless coming from two different directions in the distance to merge into the one above.

Melody adjusted a dial.

"Now where are you coming from?" she muttered. Hunter made a hissing noise. "Well we came out here for answers didn't we?" Melody asked him. Hunter pushed off and landed on the passenger seat again and glared out the window at the Heartless as their ship slowly passed under them and in the direction of the oncoming flow. In the distance Melody could see a world, yellow and green in most places and blue in vary few. Melody steered in to land.

The gummyship landed in a grassy yellow field and touched down softly. Melody tentatively peered out the door hatch. The last time she had visited a world it hadn't been very safe. However this world seemed rather empty. There were no buildings to be seen in the plains that stretched for miles. Only rock formation and a sea of grasslands. Hunter soared out to stretch his wings and Melody stepped down into the waist high grass. She made her way to an open space of dusty rocks. She hoped to find some items there so that Cid would not be soar at her.

There was some rustling in the tallgrass but Melody ignored it at first. But then she swore she heard a voice. "What is it?" Another voice, "I don't know but it's better than what we could find in the Elephant graveyard."

Melody turned to face a patch of grass that was twitching. "Is someone there?'

A hunched gray shape emerged, followed by two more.

"I'll say someone's there," said the first hyena.

"yeah and something very weird is here too," said the second, finishing for the first. The third just laughed, a bit of slobber dangling from his tongue. Melody couldn't believe it. Hyenas that could talk?

"So," said the second hyena, a male. "What kind of tall baboon are you?"

"I'm not a baboon," said Melody finding this ridiculous.

"You're right," said the female hyena. "You're lunch."

Quickly Melody pulled out her sword. The hyenas danced around warily but started to circle Melody. Melody watched them nervously. She wasn't sure that she could fight them all off if they attacked from different directions.

Suddenly a roar echoed across the grasslands. Melody almost screamed as a huge lion leapt into the clearing. The hyenas scattered.

A small blue bird flittered around the lion's head. "There sire, I told you! Hunting, in our pridelands, again!"

"Calm down Zazu," said the lion with a soft calming voice. The lion had a gleaming ginger mane and golden fur. It turned to survey Melody with intelligent blue eyes.

Melody's mouth was hanging open slightly. With a shrill cry Hunter flew down out of the sky and landed on her shoulder. The blue bird, who happened to have a long orange beak, looked down it at the hawk.

"Ah, you. I wondered who was the new bird who chose to fly in Prideland territory without introduction," he said sniffily.

"Who are you strangers to my kingdom," asked the lion. Melody noted that his tone was more curious than threatening. She opened her hands and shrugged. It was best to be honest with a lion no matter how calm.

"Hunter and I came from another- world. We think some creatures might start attacking here."

The blue bird flapped his wings, alarmed. "Another world! I say!" The lion however frowned.

"There have been more animals leaving the Shadowlands than ever before. Even my rule isn't enough to keep them from coming into the Pridelands. It's as if something is chasing them."

"Shadowlands?" asked Melody. "Um- sir- lion, whatever-"

"Simba," the lion provided.

"If you would permit me, I can go and find out what darkness is stirring in your Shadowlands. Hunter and I have experience fighting darkness."

Hunter squeezed her shoulder, and Melody knew that despite her over-statement, Hunter would help her fight if needed.

The lion nodded. "I would appreciate that. I have never encountered someone of your species let alone from another world, but my father always trusted others before he made enemies. I will trust you to help us. Zazu will accompany you and report back to me what you find in the Shadowlands."

Zazu, the blue bird, stuttered alarmed.

"B-b-but sire! I haven't been to the Shadowland since you were a cub! And there are several very important matters to attend to here. Sire how will you go about your daily appointments without me to attend to them for you?"

"Zazu," Simba laughed. "It's just for today. I think I can go without ceremony for one day."

Melody and the two birds headed out across the grassy plain. Hunter flew overhead as Zazu sat, perched, on Melody's head.

"The Shadowland are just over that hill, there," said Zazu and they started across a dried up creek bed.

"What do you do for Simba, Zazu," Melody asked, staggering from trying not to drop the hornbill.

"Oh, organizational things, being mindful of protocol, giving him reports on the many parts of the kingdom." The hornbill smiled down at Melody's head.

"But visitors from another world, that opens all sorts of new diplomacy opportunities. Tell me Melody what is the world you come from like?"

Melody felt her heart constrict and a lump jumped into her throat. She hadn't thought about her real home world in a while she realized. She suddenly felt guilty climbing around in this savanna world, looking for Heartless when what she aught to be doing was searching the skies for her home.

"My home world was taken by the darkness," she said stiffly climbing up the rise and sliding down into a dreary rock canyon littered with animal skeletons.

"Taken?" whispered Zazu. "How can a world be- taken? I mean ours couldn't- it's not even possible- Simba would never let it-" Melody took him in her hands and looked the little bird in the face.

"I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again," she said sincerely.

"There is very little _you_ can do."

Hunter shrieked and wheeled in the air in front of Melody and circle back overhead and Zazu almost fell off of Melody's head as she wiped around and saw the blooming green fire in the shadow of the rise they had just covered. A woman with pale green skin, dressed in a black cloak and with two black horns that could either have been attached to her head or part of her headdress, walked out of the swirling green flames. The raven flew down to land on her shoulder.

"Such a pathetic hero," she said waving aside Melody's look of shock. "A young girl who has hardly fought anyone, thinks she can stop me from taking over any world I want." She raised a mocking eyebrow at Melody. Melody glared at the sorceress.

"You're Maleficent I presume," she said.

"Ha, such insolence," crowed the woman. "When I control every Heartless within miles, and all you can do is glare." She summoned the raven off her shoulder and onto the staff she held in her right hand. She stoked it thoughtfully. "Although I did wonder," she said. "Why you took and interest in my pet." She held up the staff for Melody to survey. "Does he seem likely to join your cause too?" The raven shifted uncomfortably. Maleficent glided forward and took Melody's chin in her long nailed hand.

"Take this as a warning, child. You cannot stop what is dark. You will just end up sucked down into it."

Melody met the sorceress's eyes and the lily tipped sward snapped into her hand hanging at her side. Maleficent narrowed her eyes but smirked down at Melody.

"I'm interested in this land," she said, sweeping away. "What do you think, Melody? Wouldn't the Heartless of a lion king be an exceptionally strong ally?" Melody's eyes grew wide as the wicked woman laughed and swept away in a bust of green fire. Hunter's cry of alarm alerted both Melody and the hornbill to what they had failed to notice as Maleficent had been talking. Heartless had been creeping out from under bones and behind rocks, and upon Maleficent's departure the first ones out leapt at Melody. With a cry of fear and fury the girl swung her sword up and around, slashing at the many shadows that leapt out of the darkness. Suddenly a monkey shaped heartless pounced from behind a rock and scrambled past Melody and over the rise. Zazu cried out as he swooped into the air and looked off into the distance.

"The Pridelands!"

Melody battled her way to the top of the rise with Hunter swooping down to rend Heartless with his claws, and watched with horror as a wave of darkness consisting of Heartless swarmed out of the Shadowlands and toward the towering cliff in the center of the grassy plain. Zazu zipped off in the direction of the rock.

"Zazu wait!" Melody stumbled down the rise and thundered after the bird. Getting separated if the world vanished would be disastrous. But she didn't even want to think about what would happen if the world disappeared. "Hunter!" she called out and the answering cry of the hawk called back from just above her. They sprinted to the towering rock hearing the terrified and defiant roars of female lions as they grew nearer. But upon reaching the rocky structure Melody found there was nowhere left to run, the earth was crumbling away into darkness, and it was all swarming in on the rock. There was no sign of Zazu or Simba. "Hunter this way!" Melody cried as she tore up the small path on the cliffside with the hawk staying only a foot away from her head. She came out on the very top of the entire rock. A small blue speck zoomed up to her.

"Melody I can't- I can't find Simba anywhere!"

There was a roar and the three of them stared down the far side of Pride Rock where the golden shape of the lion king was being attacked from all sides by dark inkblot shadows. Simba was holding them off with his teeth and his mighty paws even as the crumbling rock gave way right beside him.

"Sire!" cried Zazu and went to dive down to his ruler's aid, but Melody seized his tail as the oncoming darkness rushed in on them. Hunter dove in and clung to Melody's hood. In the sweeping darkness the gold and red glow of the still fighting Simba shrank to a glimmering dot and a shining gem shot away into the blackness. Melody and the two birds clung to each other as the clinging black pulled at them but Melody wouldn't let either bird go. As if in a nightmare Melody fell into darkness.

When she woke up Melody was lying in a side ally of Traverse Town again. A cold sweat covered her face and back and she slowly sat up. Zazu sat hunched over a few feet away and when Melody looked up she could see Hunter in the rafters. She focused on the little blue bird.

"Zazu?"

The hornbill looked up startled and fluttered over to Melody's side.

"Oh, Miss Melody, you're alright." He landed on her knee and glanced away. Melody could see the sadness welling up under his prim composer.

"Oh Zazu, I'm sorry the Heartless had to come and disturb your peaceful world. You shouldn't have to suffer too."

He looked up.

"But Melody, I have suffered before. Don't think just because the Pridelands were plentiful that they have always been like that." He gazed off. "Once before Simba was king, his Uncle took power and usurped the kingdom. He almost destroyed our beautiful pridelands. And I had to live under his rein. I haven't seen such dark times- until now."

Melody laid a comforting hand on the bird's shoulder. He caught her eye.

"It's just- if Simba's- Where are the Pridlands now?"

"I wish I knew," she said softly. "But we need to find out Zazu. All of us." She stood up and glared down the alley. "The Heartless can't keep ruining our lives and stealing our homes. And Maleficent's wrong too," she said suddenly. "I'm not so weak that I can't see when there's a ray of hope, and I'm not so foolish as to think I can take her. But," she softened. "If I can stay alive long enough to find out for you and all these people, what has become of the hearts of your loved ones…" she trailed off. The bird looked up at her wonderingly.

She took Zazu to her hotel room and checked in with Yuffie and Aierith, who were both saddened by the loss of another world. Unable to stand talking about it, Melody left and climbed back up to the tops of the buildings. The air was quiet except for a soft metallic echo coming from a bell in the building behind her.

She stared down at the courtyard below, calmed by the beautiful view. She heard a flutter of wings and the raven landed beside her. It shuffled along the gutter not looking at her.  
"So did Maleficent send you to spy on me?" Melody asked.

The bird shrugged and continued to stare down at the street.

"What a rotten life you've gotten yourself into," Melody observed harshly. "Unthanked servant to a mad lady who wants to cover the universe in darkness. What even became of your world I wonder."

The bird flinched at her sharp tone but it did not back away. Only now did Melody notice how dejected the bird looked. She thought of Hunter and how bad he had it with Shan Yu. Melody considered the raven. Would she be falling into one of Maleficent's traps? But perhaps it would be worth it, if she could do one small act of kindness for this bird who had had such a terrible life.

_Melody, you are way too nice_, she said to herself.

"Maybe," she ventured, talking to the raven. "What you need is a new master." She corrected herself. "A friend. Someone who could protect you from all that." The raven shuddered and Melody dropped all pretenses.

"Look, alright, I may not be able to stand up against Maleficent, and I might not be the best one to side with against the Heartless, but for goodness sakes you trickster! The worlds are falling apart around us! And I know that you would rather feel wanted and loved than you would want to live to see the ends of the worlds as Maleficent's pet raven." She stood up and marched away. She had climbed down the ladder when the raven sailed down and landed on the railing in front of her. It shuffled its feet for a moment, then, at last, looked her in the eye. She held his gaze, then walked down the street toward the hotel. When she looked back the raven flew off the railing and landed beside her on a bench. Melody raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, but I'm not going to forget that you're a little trickster," she said. "We'll call this a grace period."


	6. United

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

Welcome Back, I still don't own anything. Thanks for sticking around. Let's continue…

They proceeded into the hotel.

"Melody, why did you welcome in this riff raff?" Zazu watched the raven, who sat hunched in a corner, with suspicion and a little haughtiness.

"If I don't give Trickster a chance how can I say that I truly am sided with the light?" said Melody. "It's a matter of principle."

"But that woman, Maleficant, she could have him watching you."

Hunter screeched and sailed off the balcony to land next to Trickster. He gave the raven a fixed look then glared over at Zazu.

"Fine take his side, he didn't destroy _your_ world," Zazu said pointedly.

"Neither did he destroy yours, Zazu" Melody said sternly. "But Hunter did work for a man that I'm sure would have sided with the darkness if it had struck there." She paused, thinking pensively. "But I've been wondering why you can talk Zazu, but Hunter and Trickster can't." She sat down on the bed staring absentmindedly at her sward. "I wonder if it has something to do with the worlds. They didn't used to be connected, maybe they ran parallel and things like language only wore through to certain worlds." She groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "We need to get to the bottom of this Heartless thing. I guess I better go to Cid and explain why I don't have any items and need another gummyship."

Cid didn't take the news lightly. Wrecking a gummyship was not the way to get on his good side. Melody left the shop grumpily. She hated it when people were mad at her, and she didn't know what she could do about it. She gloomily thought how it looked like she and the birds were grounded until they could find somebody else who made gummyships.

She stopped in her tracks. Parked by the entrance to Traverse Town was a large gummyship with the name Highwind painted on the side. _I wonder who flew that in_, she thought.

Wandering back to the hotel she sought out Aerith and asked her.

"Oh, Sora's back in town, you should go meet him Melody. He's finding out all sorts of things about the worlds," she said. "And he's bringing us back a lot of Ansam's reports."

Melody thought it over and decided to take Aerith's advice.

"Do you guys want to go meet Sora?" she asked the Trickster and Zazu, Hunter was out flying. Trickster shuffled his feet and Zazu didn't answer. He was staring out the balcony, lost in thought. Melody walked over.

"Zazu, you know it might be a good idea for you to get out and stretch your wings."

"Hmm? Oh- yes, yes, of course Melody." The hornbill was distracted.

"You know, maybe in his travels this Sora kid found out where lost worlds go," suggested Melody. The hornbill stuttered.

"Well- I-I, I didn't say I wasn't going! But if there is something to be gained be going to see him, well perhaps Melody you shouldn't go alone."

Melody smiled to herself as the two of them left together. Aerith had said Sora was down visiting the wizard Merlin. She gave them directions to his house and Melody and Zazu headed toward the door with a flame on it that she had walked by a couple times. Suddenly she held up her hand to tell Zazu to quiet and stopped walking.

They were obviously Heartless, but this kind was bigger than she had encountered before. A Heartless with a balloon like head that grinned maniacally floated about the doorway peering in, and a lumbering apelike Heartless holding a shield held open the door a crack. Both were quivering like a tv antenna when it's picking up signals. It looked for all the world to Melody, like they were eavesdropping on whatever was going on inside the red door. But they themselves weren't listening, Melody realized. They were relaying what they heard to someone else.

"Maleficent," Melody growled bringing out her sword. She jumped out from behind the Heartless and took a swing at the apelike one. The Heartless swung it's shield up to redirect her sward and punched out with it's free hand. The balloon Heartless took a bite at her head. Instantly Melody understood that these were smarter than the normal brand of Heartless. Zazu flew up the pecked at the balloon Heartless, which snapped wildly at the bird. Meanwhile Melody dealt with the Heartless defending itself with it's shield. For the first time she noticed that the shield had a lifelike engraving of a dog's muzzle on it and she cried out when the muzzle suddenly snapped shut on her sword. The Defender knocked into Melody with its shoulder and whipped its shield around, throwing Melody against a wall with its speed. The sword sailed away through the air, but it did not go far before it vanished and reappeared in Melody's hand.

The Heartless paused and stood straight up. It's orblike eyes fixed on her, but it wasn't the Heartless with its wild beast sensory mind staring at Melody. She could feel its master watch her from somewhere deep in the darkness.

"You're not going to get me that easily Maleficent," said Melody and she used the wall to springboard herself into the air and to drive her sword's flower tip through the Heartless's body. For a moment the flower sprouted from the other side, then the Heartless vanished in a swirl of darkness.

Something slapped against the back of her head and Melody fell forward. The small Heartless with batlike wings and goggles that had hit her swung around for a second attack. Melody staggered to her feet when sharp claws seized her arms from behind. She struggled with the Heartless on her own, only glimpsing Zazu's blue feathers whisking outside her line of vision. The flying Heartless in front of her pulled up short and spun off, intimidated by the larger Heartless that were now materializing around the soldier the held her arms. Melody realized that it had her totally defenseless yet the creatures hadn't killed her yet. Then she saw why. A pool of blackness opened up before her and the Heartless shuffled toward it. Straining to see Zazu somewhere Melody cried out to her friend.

"Zazu!"

And was swallowed up by the darkness.

_I must be in a ship_. The walls were a dark swirling material that shimmered color like a black opal. It was a tight space, the walls very close to her sides but light was coming through the heart shaped window in front of her, where she could see the swirling colors of deep space. The window had two bars crossing it in an X, which Melody recognized as the emblem of the Heartless. The truth set in. She was inside one of the ship Heartless. Why she was alive and where they were taking her Melody could not fathom, so she sat there trying to summon her sword.

But doubt was setting in. If she slashed her way out of the Heartless she would plummet through space and most surely die. Although open space was breathable, the fall would be endless. Even if she failed to hit something and die on impact, hunger would set in eventually. Her only option was to stay put.

She heard the Heartless slash it's arms outside. It sounded agitated. Suddenly something blue shot past the window and Melody heard a familiar shriek. The Heartless began to swing around, knocking Melody against the walls of it's middle. She pulled herself to the window in time to see Zazu swoop under the Heartless' arm and come closer to the window.

"We've come to save you Melody," he called and then duck out of the way as a beam of energy came shooting from above. More Heartless were coming toward the birds. Trickster spiraled up from below and gave the Heartless a sharp peck. Zazu's voice called from nearby.

"As soon as they land wherever they are going, we shall aid you in your escape."

The little bird sailed past again dodging laser fire from some smaller space Heartless. He failed to avoid Melody's Heartless, clipping him with one of its arms. The hornbill teetered out of the way of more laser fire, but Melody saw a new band of Heartless coming up chasing Trickster. The two bands would trap the birds between them. Near by Hunter slashed his talons through two Heartless and five more came swarming in after him. Melody couldn't watch her friends battle to their deaths. She pulled forth her sword.

Out side the Heartless it appeared as though small flowers were blooming out of the sides and then retracting. Finally the Heartless burst apart and Melody used the force of the blast to catapult herself through the mob of Heartless. She swiped left and right sending Heartless scattering. Then she began to slow. She gave the air a few more slices and began to fall. Air streamed past her making her eyes water and her hair blow. The colors racing past her made the fall as beautiful as it was frightening. Suddenly she heard a cry from above her.

"Melody!"

The birds fell in beside her, not wanted to leave her side. Hunter flew by her head, Zazu beneath, and Trickster at her back, his wings spread wide. Almost in formation the four fell through the air of deep space.

At first Melody thought it was just a new pattern of colors in the sky. There was a glow spreading from below her, blue, like she was falling toward a huge ocean. But then she realized that a golden glow was falling down around her from above and she looked up to see that it was a glow surrounding Hunter. The blue glow spread from Zazu's wings and met with the golden glow. A metallic black trickled in from behind her and Melody saw the glows solidify. The three birds flapped slower and Melody found herself leveling out as a great ship solidified around the four of them. Her feet touched a blue cabin floor that led into a brown cockpit. Out the windows spread two black wings. Zazu and the others landed on the benches that sat below the windows and the one of the two captain chairs.

"How did-" begain the blue bird, but Melody laughed out loud.

She ran her hands over the controls of the ship that was now theirs.

"Things are connected," she said smiling. "Worlds, hearts, and now us. We were truly meant to help the worlds." She turned and hugged her three friends.


	7. Iago Part I

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

It's Arabian Nights time, I own nothing, I love everything Aladdin.

Unsure of how to get back to Traverse Town they pressed on. Melody was beginning to worry about finding a world to land on when Hunter alerted them to a world above them. He sat on the ledge of a window high in the cockpit and Melody could see the tan color of the world grow larger as they ascended. The world seemed mostly one sandy color except for a few patches of color. As their ship drew nearer Melody saw one area that looked like a city.

"Let's land outside of there so we don't alarm anyone." She steered toward a blue area some ways off from the city. The landed in a blue dyed valley. A cave of miraculous resemblance to a tiger head stood open at one end, at the other a pathway opened to a wide desert. Melody examined the ship when they got out. It was a patchwork bird of sorts. The cockpit was in the shape of a raptor's head complete with a down curving beak. The wings were Trickster's black color and the hull was a light blue. A three-pronged tail of the same blue sailed out of the back. Melody smiled to herself then walked over to Trickster and Zazu who were perched on rocks to the side. Hunter wheeled above them, listening as Melody said:

"Every world until now has been filled with Heartless except for Hunter's. So we can't expect to find this world at peace. But after all we've been through, we have the advantage on any Heartless here, and it's our job to clear them out." She looked at Zazu.  
"For all our sakes. And maybe- just maybe, we'll find some answers as to where the heartless are coming from and what is happening to our worlds. That city isn't too far out of this valley. If we keep walking straight we'll reach it." The little band left the ship in the valley and began to cross the desert. Hunter kept watch from high above while Zazu flew alongside Melody. After some bashfulness Trickster landed on Melody's shoulder and rode along nestled in her hair.

Melody knew better than to completely trust the raven, but her heart warmed to have these three beside her, and Trickster was not such a coward that he had turned away from saving her. She wondered what Maleficent thought of his desertion of her side. Or if she even knew. Melody wondered sometimes whether Trickster was there on Maleficent's orders to watch her, but she liked to believe otherwise. She trusted that orders or not Trickster might think her more worthy of his loyalty than Maleficent, and as they approached the city with its stone walls and domed palace, she gently supported the raven with her hand to keep him from falling when she stumbled on some loose sand.

The city rose up before them and towered above. They stood in the shadow of its outer wall, the first shade since they had entered the desert. They walked through quiet back alleys and entered a deserted marketplace. The stalls stood bare of merchandise and the awnings hung limp of breeze. Melody looked around.

"Something is wrong here," she said.

The sound like a rush of wind signaled the arrival of the Heartless. Small, with curved swards and white turbins, the little bandits shuffled toward Melody and the birds. As Melody raised her sword however all six heads of the six Heartless raised and pointed off toward an alley to the side. Melody forgotten, they sprinted off as if following an unheard signal. Looking worriedly at the birds Melody led the way after the Heartless.

Hanging back from the group, Melody soon lost the Heartless in the maze of alleyways. She hurried down one with the birds flying behind her. Another alleyway ran parallel to theirs, and on the other side of the wall Melody heard racing footsteps. An archway between the two came up ahead and Melody turned into it just as a girl in brown clothing ran out of it. They collided and Trickster and Zazu fluttered to a halt above them while Hunter wheeled away to gain the air higher up. He shrieked a warning as the six bandits ran up accompanied by a huge round bandit in warm colors.

The girl Melody had run into scrambled to her feet and backed away. Melody turned to face the Heartless.

'No, watch out!" cried the girl in warning. Suddenly more Heartless rose from the ground behind the girl. She cried out as a goggled and winged Heartless snatched at the hood of her cloak revealing ebony black hair and a crystal blue headband. Melody quickly swung about and nailed the air Heartless with her sword. Hunter swooped in from above to rack his talons through a Bandit and then wheel around for another. Zazu and Trickster teamed up on another while Melody parried with one Bandit. A harsh blast of fire made both Melody and the dark haired girl dive to the ground. Rolling over Melody saw the Fat Bandit lumber forward and heave a huge breath. Pushing the other girl out of the way Melody dove for cover as fire spurted from the Heartless' mouth. The remaining two Bandits scurried toward the girl. Zazu and Trickster flew in her direction but were driven off course by the fire breather. Melody knew that they would never be able to beat this bunch if they didn't stop the fat one. Keeping low Melody crept to a pile of barrels in the alley and mounted them. She then launched herself from the top and hurtled toward the Fat Bandit swinging her sword at its head. The Fat Bandit flung up its hand and swatted her away like a fly. But by a lucky chance Melody's sword hooked against the raised arm and she used her momentum to swing herself over its shoulder. Landing behind it she wasted no time in thrusting her sword through its large back.

The last two Heartless were pulling at the dark haired girl's arms but she struggled, kicking at the creatures, but her soft golden slippers didn't have much effect. Melody quickly ran up and slashed away the offending Heartless. The girl looked up wide-eyed.

"That was incredible!" she said. "You completely fought off those things single-handedly."

"Oh not single handedly," protested Melody welcoming Trickster back to her shoulder and Zazu tiredly perch on her head. Hunter looked down from atop the wall. "I can't understand why they went after you though."

"My father is sultan," the girl provided. "I'm Jasmine. You must meet my father, he'll want to thank you for saving me." She raised her hood again and motioned for Melody to follow her. With a look at Hunter Melody followed with the hawk circling above.

The walls of the palace were a sparkling white and the grounds a well kept green. Once they had entered the walls of the palace Jasmine discarded her brown cloak to reveal crystal blue pants and top. Her jewelry was gold except for a sapphire gem atop her head. A group of guards hurried up to the princess as she entered the palace.  
"Princess, we heard you were attacked! When you left the palace this morning the Sultan ordered guards to accompany you, but only one came back alive to tell us that dark creatures were spotted inside the city!"

"Don't worry Razul, I'm alright. I want to talk to my father."

"Who's this peasant," asked Razul frowning at Melody who glared back at his tone.

"She's here as my guest and I want to see my father," Jasmine said and swept past Razul and the other guards.

Melody grinned to herself. Her jaw soon dropped at the sight of the marble throne room. Tall pillars toped in gold spirals reached high above to the white dome she had seen from outside. Despite how giant the room was the long slender carpet and the throne it led up to were tiny. And the man who sat upon it was tiny no matter who you compared him to. The round little man fluttered to his feet when Jasmine walked in.

"Jasmine!" he cried bustling over to his taller daughter. Melody noted how he hardly seemed to touch the floor his manner was so light and bubbly. But now he bubbled in worry.

"We heard you were attacked! And out in Agraba again without an escort. Do you delight in troubling me?"

"Father, I'm alright! I was attacked but this girl rescued me." She gestured at Melody smiling. Melody bowed, she was in their world after all, she wanted to be polite to royalty.

"Melody, your highness and these are Zazu, Trickster and Hunter."

"Awck!" A red and blue parrot squawked from the shoulder of another man by the throne. Tall and slender he wore dark black clothes with elegant red trimmings. He held a golden staff with a snake head and on his head sat a black turbin with a long red feather held on with a glimmering ruby. Hunter hissed at the parrot making it glare in an almost human like manner at the hawk.

"Now Iago," murmured the man. "Lets not alarm the princess' guest and her pets."

Hunter bristled from his seat upon Melody's right shoulder and Zazu rustled indignantly above Melody. Trickster was holding very still.

"Such a warrior, and so young," sputtered the Sultan. "Incredible. Young lady I am in your debt. If anything had happened to Jasmine-!"

"Father I'm alright now. But Agraba was different since the last time I snuck out. Everyone was hiding indoors and no one was in the markets. It was like they were all afraid. And the creatures that attacked me came out of nowhere."

Melody saw the dark man and his parrot exchange a look. Melody decided to speak up.

"When was the last time you were in the city Jasmine?"

She and the Sultan looked at her.

"Yesterday," Jasmine said softly. "I went back today, to be alone after I found out-" she cut off and glared at the man with the parrot and then looked down with a look of sadness. The man pursed his lips and interrupted the silence, saying

"I'm interested to find out why the peasants were off the streets but Miss Melody was not." He stepped forward smirking down at Melody who stood her ground.

"I've only just arrived here," she said.

"Yea-" Zazu began but Melody shrugged him off her head. She threw the hornbill a look. If this man could pretend that his parrot could not talk she could keep her own secrets.

"Funny how the trouble arrives the day our friend does, your majesty," said the man slyly. He strolled over to the Sultan raising his staff but the Sultan pushed past him impatiently.

"Now surely Jafar you aren't suggesting that our young friend here had anything to do with those creatures attacking my daughter. Humph, after all Melody was the one who saved her. Yes."

_He's right_, thought Melody. _The Heartless were chasing after Jasmine, and had no interest in me._

"Your majesty," said Melody. "I have seen their like before. I would therefore like to offer my services to help you dispose of them." She realized that she hadn't put her sword away the entire time she had been in Agraba._ All the better_, she thought. _Let them think it's a normal sword_.

"Oh my dear you don't have to help us any. My guard is quite efficient don't worry. But I think I would be honored to offer you a place in the palace tonight. After all you saved my daughter."

"That would be wonderful your highness," said Melody. But inside she was wondering: who was going to protect the peasants from the Heartless?

Melody was given an amazing room, with arced doorways and colorful cushions and large potted plants. Soon after the Sultan and Jasmine visited.

"I do hope you like it?" asked the Sultan.

"Yes, of course your-

Melody was cut off by Hunter's shriek and a "Awck!" followed by: "Ah, oh, yow!"

The red parrot was chased into the room from the window by Hunter. He dove under a pile of pillows and peered out to see if the coast was clear.

"Oh!" said the Sultan happily. He rummage around in his sash and like a happy little boy held out a questionable looking cracker. Iago backed away, but excitedly the Sultan pressed the cracker through the parrot's clamped shut beak until he took it, then the little bird sputtered and gagged.

"I don't think he really likes those," said Melody as the Sultan pulled out another cracker.

"What? Oh-" the Sultan looked put off and weakly offered the cracker to a near by Zazu who obligingly nibbled the side. A disgusted look crossed his face and he quickly lifted off and sailed to land next to Hunter on a chair. Hunter snickered something in bird and Zazu glared. Trickster still remained on Melody's shoulder and she thought she felt him shiver a couple times.

Iago looked quite relived at not having anymore crackers shoved down his throat. The Sultan said good night and left Jasmine and Melody alone. Jasmine smiled at the birds and gently patted Zazu's head.

"They're wonderful," she said to Melody. "Did you get them visiting other lands?"

"First of all, I don't own them," said Melody firmly. "They choose to go with me. And yes you could say that."

"It always seems other lands keep visiting me and I never get to visit them," complained Jasmine. "Sometimes I feel like a bird myself, locked in a cage."

"Cages are definitely not a good thing," Melody agreed. "And it seems to me that you're a bit too well cut off from your people."

"Oh Father's just too overprotective," Jasmine said. "And he doesn't want me getting distracted now. I need to be married in three days."

"Hold on! You're going to be married?" Jasmine seemed as young as she was. "To who?"

"I haven't chosen anyone yet. I don't want to marry." Something about the way she said it made Jasmine seem much sadder than before. Melody decided to change the subject.

"Who was that creepy man in the throne room?"

Iago began whistling and preening himself innocently.

"Oh, Jafar, Father's vizier. Father listens to him way too much. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with so much. He-"

Jasmine caught herself getting chocked up. She steadied herself.

"When I first when to the marketplace, I met this boy who showed me around. But there was a mistake and the guards thought that it had been him who had taken me from the palace. The took him away and by the time I got back to the palace, Jafar had already had the guards sentence him to death."

Melody was horrified. Jasmine bit down tears Melody guessed had already been shed too much over this matter. She cast around for something to say.

"Maybe the Sultan will postpone the marriage date until this Heartl- creature threat is past. It'll give you more time to think."

Jasmine sighed.

"I guess you're right. Thank you Melody, you're very easy to talk to."

She bid Melody goodnight, scratched Zazu's head and left. Melody turned and caught Iago tip toeing away.

"Alright start talking," she said sharply. Iago jumped and scrambled into the air but Hunter swooped in and nearly knocked the parrot out of the air. He thudded against a pillow and tried to make himself disappear into it.

"Don't pretend you can't talk anymore, I know you can."

Zazu landed next to the parrot.

"Plus we could talk to you in bird if we had to," he said pointedly. "But I think it would be most proper for you to talk so that miss Melody can understand you."

Iago gaped at the hornbill, glanced panicky at Melody.

"Look I wasn't really spying. I just like to fly into unused rooms sometimes but I decided not to when I saw that yours wasn't an unused room so I guess it was a big misunderstanding and I'll be going now, bye!"

He tried to make a quick exit but from under Melody's hair Trickster gave a sharp caw. Iago turned to him.

"Hey, buddy, Jafar's not my master. We're more like… partners. And how could you possible know him?"

Trickster cawed again and Melody looked at Zazu.

"Maleficent," he translated.

"Jafar knows Maleficent?" Melody said, shocked. She lowered Trickster down where she could meet his gaze. For once he didn't look away. Iago tried to brush it off.

"Look the lady only came in here a couple times, and you can't exactly say Jafar does anything she tells him but, look I can't be sayin this!"

"Then go Iago," said Melody frowning. "We have enough to think on, just stop spying on us."

The bird was taken aback that she was letting him go. He hesitated then shot off out the window. Melody turned to the three birds.

"We have a lot to worry about if Jafar has anything to do with Maleficent. As a vizier he's too well situated to do something to the Sultan if need be."

"But Melody, why hasn't he done it already?" asked Zazu.

"I donno, Zazu. Maybe he's waiting for something. We'll explore the palace tomorrow and maybe we'll find out more about him."

Melody sighed.

"Okay, we are sleeping in shifts with all these Heartless around. Zazu you take first, I'll take second, Trickster third, and Hunter fourth."

Melody, Trickster and Hunter settled on various perches and cushions around the room while Zazu sat at the windowsill. Slowly the night rolled in.


	8. Iago Part II

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

I love Aladdin so this has been fun. For one scene I have included some lines from the movie. They are in _**bolded italics**_**. **I don't own them but they are appropriate for the scene and I wanted to impose the nostalgic feeling I had while writing this. Enjoy Melody's adventure in Agraba. On with the show…

The next morning Melody wandered out onto the long green grounds. Hunter circled away to watch the palace from above and Zazu staying inside to glide through the hallways. Trickster road on Melody's shoulder as she walked the grounds. The air was hot but the grounds were lush. Melody vaguely was reminded of summers back home. She was glad from the change from the lasting nights in Travers Town. The Sultan was inside somewhere pondering matters of state and Jasmine was in her room still. Melody had seen nothing of the vizier all morning but that was half the reason they were all exploring the palace. She made her way back indoors. As she headed toward the throne room she felt a vibration run through her feet. She paused. The ground thudded again and then a few beats, later. A pounding, like a heartbeat with an attitude was growing, traveling up through the ground as the noise marched nearer. She hurried forward and passed through the empty throne room. She saw the round white from of the Sultan and the sharp black outline of Jafar, Iago on his shoulder, standing at one of the balconies.

Respectfully shewalked up beside them and peered down at the street where both were looking.

A caravan snaked through the streets and up toward the palace entrance. It was filled with dancers and drummers and rolling floats and near the back elephants. The pounding beat was coming from the fanfare that all the musicians in the parade were playing proclaiming the name of some foreign prince. Melody smiled when she saw the Sultan bobbing to the music. Even more when she saw Iago start to do the same. Jafar cast him a dirty look.

As if waking from a stupor the Sultan realize that the parade was coming to the tall front doors. He scurried excitedly over to let the visitors in. Jafar and Melody left the balcony too and Melody's jaw dropped open as a whole brigade of servants and admirers burst into the throne room. The prince seemed to have brought his entire household. An energetic conductor led through the doors the elephants as well as cooks and bakers, and a whole menagerie of birds and beasts. Melody noticed Jafar loop around behind them and start forcing several servant to turn around, but she was completely distracted when the prince, clad in cream silk, lifted off the back of his elephant and flew down to the floor standing on a flying carpet. The doors slammed shut.

The young man was probably Jasmine's age give or take a year noted Melody. He jumped off of the carpet and bowed.

"_**Your Majesty, I have journeyed from afar to seek your daughter's hand." **_

"_**Prince Ali Ababua, I'm delighted to meet you**_," chortled the Sultan.

Melody watched the Sultan's eyes follow the flying carpet as it floated down to his feet like a dog sniffing a new person. Jafar stepped forward.

"_**I'm afraid Prince Abooboo**__-_" Melody snorted. "That your arrival without invitation- without forewarning, is not acceptable-"

"By Ala!" The Sultan was prodding the flying carpet which fluttered and playfully pulled at the Sultan's beard. He looked up at Ali hopefully.

"Your Majesty you most certainly may have a ride," the prince said obligingly.

Happily the Sultan zoomed off on the carpet to loop around the empty throne room. Iago scrambled to get out of the way. Seeing Jafar trying to say more to the boy Melody chose that moment to step forward.

"Prince Ali, it's nice to meet you," she said extending her hand. Jafar frowned. "I'm Melody. Did you have any trouble entering the city?"

"No, no the journey was fine."

_Hmm_, thought Melody_, perhaps the Heartless were scared off by the loud caravan_.

A giddy Sultan skidded to a halt at their feet and a dizzy Carpet stumbled over to Ali's elephant and collapsed on its trunk.

"Oh ho, what a ride. You, my boy, have made quite an impression."

He rubbed his hands together merrily and said to the room at large. "Hmm _**Jasmine will like this one**_."

"One moment sire," interrupted Jafar. "This boy is no different from the others. Who is he to sweep in unannounced to pronounce himself worthy of the princess?"

_Yeah_, though Melody, _more like who is he to not warn you he was coming so you could fit him into whatever your plans are_.

Ali did not seem worried with Jafar's interrogations. "Excuse me, but I am a prince. Prince Ali Ababua. Just let Jasmine meet me and I'm sure _**I will win your daughter**_."

Melody frowned. Arrogance, great. It looked like Jasmine wouldn't want to marry this one either.

"_**How dare you**_!"

The four looked up as Jasmine planted herself in the doorway. The three men guiltily looked away. Melody flinched.

"You're all standing around planning out my future without even hearing what I've got to say about it. _**I am not a prize to be won**_!" She stormed out. The Sultan said a hurried apology to Ali and then rushed after his daughter. Melody turned to Ali.

"I wouldn't say anything stupid like that again Prince Ali. If you're smart you'll try to figure out how to patch things up with her." Ali stared at Meldoy glumly and nodded. She left him, with a short glance at Jafar and wandered toward the front doors. She decided to find Zazu and have him interrogate the prince's birds. She exited the throne room out into the bright sunlight. When her eyes adjusted she expected to see Ali's caravan spread out across the lawn, but the front steps were empty. She circled around the palace looking for the servants and found that the grounds were completely deserted. The only movement her eye caught was the small red dot of Iago flying high up by the palace balconies. She brought Trickster down off her shoulder.

"Can you follow him?" she said meeting the raven's eyes. "See where he and Jafar go? Or maybe talk to him, find out why he does everything Jafar says." Trickster lifted off and Melody was left alone on the green grass.

Wandering back inside she saw Ali disappearing down another hall. She tried to catch up to talk to him. He was far ahead but she followed him into nice ground floor room with windows out to the gardens. She noted that his elephant was poking its head through the window. Ali took off his turbin tiredly.

"Ali?"

He turned around guiltily. "Oh, um, Melody- right?"

"I was just out on the grounds. Your servants seem to have disappeared."

She noticed how much younger he looked without his turbin covering his jet black hair. But there was something more sincere about him without his royal finery. Nervously though, he put his turbin back on. It sat lumpy looking now and the feather hung down limply. He blew it out of his face.

"Well that- I don't know what that's about," he said. Then he coughed and said in a much deeper voice. "You know a prince can't be troubled about the whereabouts of his servants."

Melody tilted her head.

"How can you like doing that?"

"What?"

"Putting on airs and pretending that you don't care about anything. I think Jasmine would like you a lot more if she knew that you were just as nervous as she is."

He stared at her then swatted the air beside his ear. Melody noticed a little bee buzzing very close to Ali's head. Distractedly Ali said:

"Well I should think that- the princess- shhhh- is pretty sure of herself- shut up- what with yelling at me in the throne room today."

Melody stepped forward.

"What's that?"

"What?"

"That bee buzzing by your-"

"There's no-"  
"Right there!" Melody nearly hit the bee with her hand and it angrily called up to her:

"zzzHey, zzwatch it!" It froze and gulped.

"Genie!"

"zzorry."

Melody laughed in wonder.

"Wait a minute, that's a genie?"

"No!"

There was a blue blur and the genie floated in midair. He adopted a black and white striped prison shirt.

"It's no use kid, we've been caught-" a searchlight focused on the genie. They disappeared and the genie puffed himself up. "Deflated." He let the air out and zoomed around the room. A door appeared mid air. "Discovered." He opened it and a skeleton fell out. Melody had to smile. She turned to Ali.

"I just have one question Ali," she said. "Were your servants even real?"

Ali slouched causing his turbin feather to droop more.

"No, I wished that Genie would make me a prince so Jasmine would take me seriously."

"You weren't a prince before?"

"No."

Ali looked dejected. Melody felt sorry for him. Then she thought about how Ali had acted in the throne room.

"Then stop acting like a prince, that's not what Jasmine-" She looked up. Zazu had just burst through the door from the hallway. He eyed Ali and just missed seeing the genie rush under Ali's turbin. He fluttered by Melody's side nodding hurriedly toward the doorway.

"Um- Ali, this is Zazu. Zazu, Ali. Could you excuse me for a second?" She leaned forward. "Your secret's safe with me." Then she turned and followed Zazu out.

"What?"

"Melody," said Zazu. "I spotted Heartless out in the city again. They aren't coming toward the palace anymore but there are a lot of them."

"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Melody. With that she led the way out of the palace.

The streets were deserted once more but there were signs that many of the houses had been broken into.

"But why would the Heartless wreck the windows and doors when they can come in from the shadows."

"Look's like random destruction to me," said Zazu as he landed by a window that had been boarded up and then clawed open. Hunter swooped overhead. "Remember those Heartless that we met when we first arrived? They looked violent."

"Not if hearts are what they want. Why waste their time on windows and crates?"

She walked into an empty house. There were signs of a recent struggle. In some of the other houses they entered it was bare. Not even furnishing left.

"It looks like some people left town when the Heartless started attacking. The Heartless probably got to those who stayed."

"They weren't attacking anyone when I saw them," added Zazu. "Just wandering around making a mess of things."

"If everyone who's worth stealing a heart from is gone, why haven't they come to the palace?" asked Melody. She heard a rustle down the next street. "What are they waiting for?"

A lone Bandit strode around the corner. Spotting Melody it charged. Melody brought up her sword and met its saber in mid air. The Bandit twisted sideways and slashed out. Melody parried. She was becoming good at this. As she fought she called over her shoulder:

"Zazu- I've been thinking. Do you think the Heartless- here look dif- different because they- are made from the hearts of the local peasants?" She ducked and swung again. She caught the Bandit with its saber down and it dissolved in a pool of blackness.

"I suppose so," said Zazu. Melody turned to him. The heart from the Bandit softly disappeared into her sword.

"And isn't it true that the hearts that I free come back to give me strength to free more?" Melody stared at her sword with new respect in her eyes. The little heart on the hilt pulsed encouragingly. "It's because they want me to stop this," said Melody. "I need to stop the Heartless that did this to them. The more I kill the more hearts are free." They both looked up at the sound of more rustling Heartless coming down the street.

"So perhaps we should start clean up duty," she suggested smiling. She raised her sword high and leapt around the corner to confront the Heartless.

She and Zazu battled all afternoon. When they wiped out one group of the Heartless the small shimmering hearts fell like rain and soon another group would emerge drawn by the possibility of a new heart to steal. With nothing better to do the Heartless came in droves.

Melody escaped to the roof of a small shop to catch her breath. She was growing tired of swinging left and right, and it scared her how many Heartless she was taking out. It was starting to get dark and Melody did not want to keep fighting by moonlight. She crept over rooftops with Zazu gliding close behind, returning to the palace.

She glanced up at the star filled sky, wondering how good Hunter's night sight was, when a dark shape wheeled across the moon. Melody's mouth dropped open. Ali and Jasmine were flying together on Ali's flying carpet. Melody had to smile. It looked like Jasmine didn't object to the pretend prince that much, after all.

Her walk back to the palace took her a long time, so when she entered the grounds the pair were just coming back. She paused for a moment watching the small shape of the carpet rise up to Jasmine's balcony and Ali let her down. Before she turned to walk away Melody saw the carpet give a heave and Ali was thrust upwards into a kiss.

Melody feeling happy for Ali and wondering vaguely when he was going to tell Jasmine the truth, decided to walk along the quiet grounds before turning in. She idly watched Ali happy float towards the ground on his magic carpet. Then something caught Melody's eye.

The ground below the balcony was shimmering. Melody saw with horror that the dark forms of Heartless were materializing below, and Prince Ali, laying with his hands folded happily behind his head on the magic carpet, couldn't see what he was floating down to. Melody began to run.

The carpet realized something was wrong a few feet from the ground. It started to rise again but a Shadow reached up and seized a tassel. Without it's rider hanging on the carpet couldn't wrench itself free without tossing Ali off. Melody ran faster.

"Ali look out!" Within five yards of the boy her feet were swept out from under her. She sprawled on the ground as the owner of the long golden staff that had tripped her stepped from behind a tree.

"Your welcome has been worn out, my dear," said Jafar. Iago perched on his shoulder. Melody saw Ali struggling with the Heartless in front of her and she rose to her feet to help him but was seized from behind but something more solid then the slippery Heartless. Before her she saw a tall shape come up and grab Ali too. The Heartless fell back and Melody realized that the figures were palace guards. Their eyes glittered with the black opal fire of the Heartless.

"This take over has been a long time in the making," hissed Jafar stepping up between his two captives. "And no unexpected visitors," he glared at Melody and stepped closer. "-No would be heros, no princes, are going to delay my plans anymore."

There was a shriek and Melody could see Hunter coming down form the sky. With her limited rang of vision she couldn't see Zazu but she knew he would be nearby. If Jafar was controlling the guards she couldn't kill them like she could Heartless. They were just victims. If she couldn't get away the birds could, but they wouldn't leave her. She had to do something before Hunter came too close.

"Zazu! Get away!" she cried. She couldn't let Jafar know Zazu could talk. He could warn Jasmine and the Sultan.

"Both of you, I'll be fine. Just go!" Melody saw the black shape of Hunter wheel above them and shrieking angrily turn around. Melody saw in the crook of a tree behind Ali's guard Zazu's wide eyes staring at her. Melody kept her gaze firm staring the little ebird down. Eyes bright Zazu disappeared into the night leaving Melody and Ali alone with their captors.


	9. Iago's Part III

Welcome, I own naught but a love of Kingdom Hearts and Melody's character,

Thank you everyone who is still reading. I hope you are enjoying yourselves. Hey- Hey don't throw popcorn at me! I'll get on with the story! First though I need to do the disclamer.

I don't own Aladdin or Kingdom Hearts. The italicized and bolded words are references to lines said in the actual Aladdin movie. Read on Dear Reader, Read on.

Frowning Jafar stroked his staff.

"Take them to the dungeons," he ordered the guards. "There are enough Heartless down there to deal with them."

Without another word he swept off up the lawn.

The guards obligingly tightened their grips on their captives and dragged them off the grounds. They ran into no other guards, or perhaps Jafar had them all under his spell, but the corridors had darkened much since Melody had left the palace. It was night now, true, but the torches weren't shining as brightly for some reason that Melody guessed had something to do with the Heartless.

She and Ali were taken down where the smooth sandstone ended and hard blocks of gray stone formed the walls. A guard opened a wooden door and Ali was shoved through. Next Melody was pushed in after him.

The floor she hit had a surreal quality that puzzled her mind over whether it was real stone or something else pretending to be stone. She looked up and saw the telltale shimmers of Heartless matter along the corners and the floor. She knew they only had a matter of minutes before something was let loose.

"Ali," she said softly. "I know I appear unarmed now. You saw me trip and drop my sword, so what I'm about to do will seem bizarre, but I'll be honest with you now."

Ali stared at her, confused.

"I'm from another world. I came tracking Heartless, those creatures that keep attacking. They have been stealing hearts, going from world to world. I don't know how Jafar is involved but he's using the Heartless to take over your world."

"Other worlds? How can you-"

They were there. Heartless swarmed out of the shadows that filled the dungeon cell. Melody swung her hand through the air, her sword materializing as her arc reached the first of the Heartless. Ali- he didn't have a weapon. Melody turned to get closer to his side but the wave of Heartless pressed in so that her view was blocked. She cut down a Bandit and pushed around a Fat Bandit to see Ali pull a shiny gold lamp from under his turbin. The Fat Bandit blew out flame and the nearby Shadows dissolved through the floor to get out of the way. With nowhere to run Melody twirled her sword like a color guard flag the spinning force of which shielded her from the blast. Another Fat Bandit materialized in the dungeon closer to Ali. Melody didn't see what happened but she saw Ali slump unconscious to the floor dropping the lamp just as the blue mist of the genie began to pour out of the tip.

"_**Just when you get in the bath**_-" Genie cut off at the sight of the chaos around him. Several Shadows pounced on Aladdin and the genie yelped:

"Al!" he dove in and swept Ali off the floor. "Oh, Kid, you can't cheat on something this big. You have to make it a wish."

Melody jumped around the Fat Bandit's back and took it and the other Fat Bandit out from behind. Genie shook Ali gently.

"Al, Aladdin. Time for the ol' wakey wakey."

Melody took down another Bandit. _Aladdin_?

"Al, I'm really gonna haveta take that as a yes."

There was a blast of bright blue light and the dungeon was empty and the door swung open, unlocked. Melody, the Genie, and the now conscious prince stood in the middle of the floor. Melody turned to the boy.

"Aladdin?"

He ducked his head sheepishly. "Well yeah that's my real name. But hey, you didn't tell anyone you could fight like that."

Melody eyed the shadowy corners of the dungeon. They seemed to be congealing.

"What say we leave this until later," she said. With that she hurried from the dungeon.

The hallways were darker. Melody could hear the shuffling noise of the Heartless moving about in the palace. Aladdin ran to keep up with her as she sped up. She was worried about Jasmine and the Sultan. Now that Jafar had supposedly gotten rid of both Melody and Aladdin was he now putting his plan into action? She wished she could summon Hunter or Zazu now for help and to tell them they were alive.

A black river of Heartless was creeping along the ceiling but they paid no attention to the two humans on the floor. Something was calling them.

Melody ran to outrace the Heartless to the throne room. Voices echoed out of the hall.

"What are you talking about Jafar?"

"I mean, Princess, that this kingdom is mine now. And I have a very special use for you, Jasmine."

"You're not going to get away with this, Ali or Melody-"

"Ahaha, Sorry Princess, but I'm afraid those two aren't going to come running to save now."

"When you're wrong, you're wrong, Jafar!"

It was rash, Melody knew. Running straight in. But a light in the darkness will never be hidden, it can only grow stronger.

Melody took in how there were no Heartless in the room but she caught their eyes gleaming, waiting in the hallways off the throne room. Iago wasn't on Jafar's shoulder but sat perched near by on the armrest of the throne. Trickster perched half hidden beneath the ornate elephant head decoration. Jafar wheeled around. Stunned disbelief crossed his face. Melody raised her sword and split the distance between him and where Jasmine and her father stood. The front doors swung open and Aladdin's carpet flew through to its master followed by his huge elephant.

Jafar glowered. "Seems you have an aptitude for survival, girl," he hissed. "I wouldn't hold my breath though. It's painfully obvious that you won't survive a second time." At a swing of his staff two Fat Bandits rose out of the floor. A shriek echoed through the room and Hunter spiraled out of the night sky. The Fat Bandits followed his flight and both shot flame at the same time. Hunter looped and Melody slashed out from behind. The Fat Bandits shattered. Six more rose in their place.

Melody looked to Aladdin. "Aladdin get Jasmine and the Sultan out of here!"

The boy had his hand halfway to his turbin where the genie's lamp was hidden, but he jumped on Carpet and shot toward the princess. Jafar's eyes narrowed.

As the carpet sailed over its head a Fat Bandit raised its fist and seized a corner of the flying carpet. Aladdin was thrown off and in the process his feathered turbin rolled away, revealing stored within it the genie's lamp. Jafar's eyes widened.

"Ha ha! Do you see what we have here Princess? Our prince Ali-" a shot of dark magic hit Aladdin in the back. "Is no more than a street rat!" Aladdin's royal princely clothes changed to patched pants and a slim vest.

"How-" cried Aladdin dumbfounded. "How did you know?" All action in the throne room was frozen. The Fat Bandits did not more but were ringed around Melody. Jafar smirked.

"Ignorant boy, who do you think led you to the Cave of Wonders?" Jafar took a step forward and casually zapped another beam of darkness at the elephant. A small brown monkey fell to the floor in its place and it ran to join Aladdin. Jasmine stared at him in shock.

"I wanted assurances that my plan to take over Agraba would not fail," said Jafar approaching the fallen lamp. "And that I would have a surprise weapon to use against Maleficent when we ruled the universe." Melody's eyes widened.

"So you were working with her?!" she said. Jafar cast a vague glance at her.

"Of course, and she warned me to be rid of you quickly." The was a blast of darkness and Melody was hit by a beam of darkness that threw her against a wall.

"But in the end, it is my own aims that I honor." Concluded the man bending down and picking up the lamp. With a rub of his hand the blue jet of the genie flowed from the spout.

"Yeah, Al you know a simple thank you would have been ni-" He saw Jafar standing in front of him, the lamp clenched in one hand. "Oh, _**Iee don't think you're him**_."

"_**I am your master now**_, not that pathetic little street rat."

Jasmine watched as Aladdin's face shadowed. Melody saw her ball up her fists.

"Just think how amusing it would be if I ordered the very genie you befriended to destroy you. Genie! My first-"

Jafar was cut off mid sentence as a hurtling blue form knocked into him seizing hold of the lamp. Jasmine struggled with his right arm trying to pry loose his fingers from the golden lamp. Jafar wrenched up his staff breaking her grip and throwing her across the floor. A beam shot from his staff and the princess was encased in a large pot.

"Jasmine!" cried Aladdin. He hurtled toward Jafar who raised his staff with a murderous look in his eye. But sharp yellow claws and an orange and yellow beak came in from above and Zazu yanked down the man's turbin. Melody hurried forward to help Aladdin.

"The power of the Heartless may be strong Jafar but there are many hearts here just as strong as any hundred Heartless," said Melody picking up the lamp triumphantly. Aladdin looked at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and I think the Genie is much stronger than you anyway. You'll never be as strong as him. A genie can grant any wish," Aladdin said.

The dark figure before them froze. Melody thought something Aladdin said might have occurred to him but suddenly a tremendous burst of power roared out of Jafar's body and knocked the two off their feet. Landing a few feet away Melody saw Jafar turn his staff on the blue bird above his head.

"Zazu! No!"

The jet of dark light engulfed the bird for a moment then shuddering as if a horde of Heartless had run right through him, the hornbill crashed to the floor. The hawk and raven's cries joined Melody's as the dark forms of Shadows rose out of the floor a few feet from Zazu's crumpled form. Melody was on her feet and running toward the fallen bird before she heard Jafar say a few words of a spell close by, but she felt the searing pain as dark fire hit her and sent her wheeling across the floor. She felt the world fading away as she heard Jafar say "Genie I have decided my first wish, I wish to be-"

Melody blacked out.

She wasn't sure what she was watching, her world was upside-down and what she was watching was hard to understand. She could see the corner of the elephant throne. One dark shape and one bright red was rustling around. The noises of the rest of the room included crashes and a wild laughing but Melody had too thin a grip on conscious to focus on anything but the scene taking place right in front of her.

The red shape was shaking its head and the black one was flapping urgently. Two birds- two birds Melody knew.

Iago stared at the scene behind Melody's head in horror and was backing away. Trickster was bristling and cawing at the parrot blocking its escape. Then he stilled and stared piercingly at Iago. Although Melody could hear no words and she had never heard Trickster talk, something seemed to pass between the two birds. Strange to think, thought Melody, that these birds might have originally been my enemies. But sides are chosen and simple servant master relationships don't last in these kinds of odds.

"Genies can't kill Jafar!" that voice sounded like Aladdin. Melody's eyes watered with pain but she managed to lift her eyes from the two birds and turn on the room. A giant muscular red shape hovered over the room.

"Nottt dirreectly," rumbled the red genie. It lifted its manacled hands and a yellow light shown through his fingers. He lowered the ball of light and made contact with the floor. Cracks spiderwebbed from the point of contact and out through the great hall. Aladdin pulled the Sultan and his monkey up on to the magic carpet. The gold lamp lay forgotten by the throne and to Melody's surprise, so was a dark black lamp.

Melody tried to stand up and then decided to crawl over and pick up the Genie's gold lamp. She rubbed it. Genie popped out looking worried.

"Genie what can I do to stop him?" she asked as the tiled floor crumbled away nearby. Hot red light poured upward and shots of fire spouted up from between the cracks. The genie franticly looked around.

"His lamp," he said pointing. "Destroy a genie's lamp you destroy the genie."

"Great," as the floor around her crumbled away leaving her on a slab attached to the wall. "Genie I wish you to get me tha-"

"Rawk!" The bright red parrot snatched Genie's lamp from Melody's hand and deposited it on the throne. Iago had the dignity to look ashamed but he stayed where he was as Jafar turned towards Melody. Aladdin shot for the black lamp on Carpet but the giant red genie effortlessly shot flame at him. Carpet skidded to a patch of floor spilling the Sultan off beside the fallen Zazu and Hunter watching over him, and Aladdin slipped off the edge of the throne room floor. Melody could see him holding on, but barely.

"Iago," she called desperately. "Forget what you've always done. Think about you still want to do. Jafar doesn't need you anymore."

A whirling fireball missed Melody by inches and she stumbled away, forced toward the edge of her island. Jafar chuckled.

"Iago will never betray me. And he knows it as well as I. In the end he's just like me."

Trickster cawed something and Iago glanced at him. The little parrots mind seemed to be doing double time. He shrugged his feathered shoulders.

"Yeah well, you know, he's got me all figured out and all. So I guess I'll just help him take care of this and-" he plucked the black lamp up in his talons. "put it somewhere safe."

He was halfway over the lava when suddenly he paused in his flight.

"Not!" –and dropped the evil black lamp into the lava below. The red genie writhed and shuddered.

"No! NO! Iago how _dare_ you! NO!"

Suddenly Jafar was gone.


	10. Cold Truths

Welcome back. For those who have been wondering how this story matches up with Sora and his journey I will soon be writing a timeline of what was going on in the rest of the story while Melody has been journeying. And for those who have been waiting for some certain characters to show up, your time is coming…

I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Ding dong, Jafar is dead! Read On…

A rumbling shook the palace and the floor sealed itself back up. Aladdin carefully stepped onto the floor and Melody pulled herself up. She winced but walked over to where the red parrot sat hunched over guiltily. Without any warning she swept him up sending feathers flying and hugged him close.

"I knew it! I absolutely knew it!"

"Hey take it easy, a bird can only take so much lovey dovey!"

An urgent pecking noise alerted them to the large pot on which Trickster perched. He was angrily tapping at the lid and a hollow ringing filled the hall.

"Jasmine!" said Aladdin hurrying forward. Melody followed a step behind, foreboding filling her heart. Aladdin lifted the lid. Melody looked over his shoulder as Aladdin cried out in horror.

"She's gone!"

The pot was indeed empty, but a wisp of green smoke curled upward from the bottom. Melody glared.

"Maleficent."

She turned and faced Iago.

"Jafar said he had a use for Jasmine, something Maleficent wanted him to do." Iago shrank back. Melody sighed. "I'm not blaming you Iago, I just need to know what's going on." The little red parrot bristled but Trickster landed beside him for encouragement.

Iago said, "she was looking for princesses from different worlds. I don't know why, just she needed 'em and we had one. So Jafar gets into this club she kinda was forming with other bad guys and Jafar starts using the Heartless and thinking he could take over and do what she was doing since she didn't know about the lamp." "Jerk," he added for what seemed like good measure.

Aladdin groaned. Melody looked at him and saw how distressed he was.

"I never got a chance to say how sorry I was for lying to her," he moaned. "Melody we have to go after her."

"Aladdin," she said softly. "We both know you can't take on the Heartless with your kinds of weapons. They'd kill you before you got a chance."

"Hey Al!" said Genie quickly. "You know you still have one wish left. Just go on and use it to get your girl back."

"Genie I promised you I'd wish you your freedom," said Aladdin. He bit his lip but he stayed firm.

"Yeah but-" began Genie.

"Genie I wish for your freedom!"

The genie's mouth dropped open. Then he shivered like a gentle wind had blown past unexpectedly. Little gusts of sparkling magic rushed past and enveloped the genie's blue form congregating around his gold cuffs. Then with a click- the cuffs snapped apart and deteriorated into thin air. Genie stared at himself.

"I'm free?"

"If I did things only because I had the power to," said Aladdin. "If I forgot what I owe to others, I'd be just like Jafar." He glanced over at Iago who ducked his head.

Melody turned to the bird. "Thank you Iago, for your help. I ask nothing in return. If you ever need anything-"

"Now wait a second who said that the brave parrot didn't feel like he owed anybody anything," asked Iago grumpily. Melody was confused.

"What does that mean Iago?"

"It means maybe I don't want you guys to get rid of me. Maybe I want to get away from this dirt heap." Melody started to smile. "And you know if there's any kind of treasure to be found, or rewarded if we say, save the princess, then maybe a certain parrot would like his share instead of staying here like some kind of chump!"

Melody laughed out loud.

"Of _course_ you can come with us Iago," she said. "Why didn't you say so?"

The bird sat stunned as the other birds crowed around him. Zazu hobbled up, his wings a little charred.

"Now see here sir, our Melody is a very determined girl so if you laze about or cause her any undue problems I see no reason why we don't drop you off on some abandoned planet!"

Iago rolled his eyes at the stuffy hornbill.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah you guys won't even notice I'm there."

Melody approached Aladdin.

"I'm sorry you can't come with us."

"Don't worry about it. Just bring Jasmine back Melody."

The Sultan hurried forward.

"What ever you do my dear, please see to it my daughter is not harmed."

"I promise," said Melody. They said their goodbyes. Melody considered how many things she was trying to figure out. How many promises she had made to others and to herself. It was a huge responsibility. She studied her reflection in her sword. It seemed older, more experienced. She stored it away, heart set on finding out where Maleficent had gone with Jasmine.

Iago was a strange new member to their ship. Melody noted with a smile that their ship had now developed a pot belled hull in bright red. Iago fluttered through out the cabin, admiring the shiny buttons and jumping whenever one of them made a noise. Zazu maintained a disgusted supervision of everything Iago did which goaded the parrot on to make some more rude comments.

"So do all birds like you have a nose like that or were you on your way to costume party when your world was destroyed?"

Hunter remained aloof in the upper reaches of the cabin. It was Trickster Melody noted, that Iago effected the largest change in. Instead of his fearful observance from Melody's shoulder the raven was sitting on the control board watching Iago's antics with a humorous gleam in his eye, carrying his wings a little less slouched.

Melody noted a few more features were added to the ship since Iago had arrived. She pressed a button on the control board and was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a comm. Link to Traverse Town. Cid's face appeared on the screen.

"Melody, kid! Where have you been? That isn't my ship."

"Yeah, sorry Cid. We kind of crashed it being attacked by Heartless," said Melody guiltily.

"Do you have any idea how far out you are. I can't believe you could send a communications link from this far out."

Melody looked back at the bird. Zazu listened attentively while Iago fluttered around in the back ground. She shrugged at the screen.

"Many wings better reception?" she mused smiling.

"Wow, these seats have that new carpet smell!"

"Or maybe it's because our newest member likes to talk a lot?" she said.

Cid's image wobbled. "Well where are you going now? Most navigation gummies don't go out that far." The screen fizzed and came back into focus. "There are a lot of Heartless out there, Melody. Are you sure you want to-"

Suddenly they lost Cid again. Melody fumbled with the knob next to the comm. Link button. A rushing noise and Hunter's screech made her turn around.

Black and green fire swirled around a spot on the floor. Suddenly Trickster was very still. The fire rose and took the form of a person. Two dark horns rose from their head and a staff was gripped in her hand. In a moment Maleficent stood in their ship.

"I'm not impressed Melody," she said smoothly. "You set out to find me without the least knowledge of my location." She laughed. "It's just, well, sad."

Melody rose to her feet. "Get out of my ship now," she said glaring at the woman. "Or tell me what you did with Princess Jasmine." Maleficent smirked.

"You're not being very hospitable. I came here for what's mine but you don't see me demanding it and ordering you to stay away from my castle. You're not setting a very good example for your _pets_," she said.

Melody's eyes narrowed. Around her three of the birds were bristling at the term pets. One however was frozen perfectly still.

"What's _yours_?" she asked raising her sword. Maleficent looked down her nose at Melody and sniffed.

"Of course what's mine. You don't honestly think I gave you him as a gift? Right, Diablo?"

Trickster shuddered as if a curse had been thrown at him. He shuffled away behind Melody. Maleficent continued:

"You didn't honestly believe that he was there as your _friend_," she said laughing. "If I hadn't told him to spy on you he never would have joined your little world tour. I wanted my Diablo to keep an eye on you." She spread wide her hands smiling at Melody. But as she took a step toward the bird Melody raised her sword.

"His name is Trickster," she said softly. "And you're not having him!"

The sorceress paused and sneered at the girl.

"Do you not believe it, girl? When the proof is right there for you to see? He knows it himself. He's been lying to you from the start." She shrugged. "Not that it matters what you think. A bird knows its mistress."

She raised her wrist and beckoned with one long green hand. Trickster tensed and Melody saw a wisp of green smoke drift off his feathers. Melody hurried to his side, horrified as Maleficent worked her influence over him. The raven's head tossed and he shook his feathers. His body began to shake. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Melody. The girl locked eyes with the bird and the horrible twisting and shuddering of the bird's body stilled for a moment.

Then Trickster ducked his head and looked away and in a glowing green light and a burst of feathers the raven lifted off and flew to its mistress. Maleficent chucked softly and stroked the shuddering raven on her wrist. Melody glared at her.

"I don't care what kind of claim you have to him," she said. "You have no right to control him like that."

Maleficent's eyebrows raised.

"No right?" she hissed softly, then raising her voice. "Why you ignorant, insufferable girl! What in the universe do you know about right?" She sneered. "You simply arrived and saw a problem and said 'I guess I'll show how good I am by helping these people?' Where you came from you went about your life committing little sins and never worrying because in your heart," she lowered her voice and lifted it mockingly. "you knew that it didn't matter as long as if the choice came between good and evil you would pick the light." She laughed harshly. "Would you really have cared if I had been the owner of this bird in your world and had been mistreating it? Well examine your heart Little Melody, because I think you would find if you did, that you really were glad your world was taken so that you could start playing a hero with a visible enemy."

Melody stared at her, her fist shaking clenched around her sword. _She wasn't right, she couldn't be right, she was just mocking Melody because…_ Melody couldn't think of a better excuse.

"You're wrong," she said taking a step forward. She stumbled when the floor of the gummyship shuddered and she saw traces of black fire running along the seams. Maleficent struck the floor with her staff and smiled at Melody.

"Take a dive to the heart Melody. And when you become a Heartless, I'll be sure to look you up again."

Cackling the witch burst into green flame and the ship split apart. Melody reached out for the birds but she felt herself wrenched away, and found herself encircled by a green blaze. With the laughter still echoing through the empty space the green blaze hurled Melody through space, speeding past many worlds and stars. Suddenly she was flung flat on a small floating cluster of rocky island.

_Take a dive to the heart Melody. And when you become a Heartless, I'll be sure to look you up again_. The green fire flared up and then vanished and the evil laughter with it, and Melody was left alone.

The small rock island and two others were the lone masses in the dark colored corner of space. Nothing else was seen in any direction. Melody slowly got to her feet.

Maleficent had abandoned her in the middle of nowhere. Melody looked around to see if one of the birds had somehow come along but she was alone. Suddenly Melody could not hold herself up. She sunk to her knees and felt tears run down her cheeks. The dark expanse of space around her slowly shifted from blue to purple to black and back again as she let time pass without thinking. For if she thought about what had just happened she might actually agree with that evil woman.

She stared at the sky and let the tears slide down her cheeks, leaving them sticky and soaked. Then she got up and walked to the edge of her island when the next of the three rocks orbited below hers she stepped down and landed only a few feet below, a few seconds later she stepped up onto the third. She circle the three rocks because walking was better than doing nothing. It took enough concentration to not miss her step that Melody's mind was kept occupied and her heart beat achingly in her chest.

At last, back at her first rock again Melody rested. She struggled not to sob as her thoughts turned to just how imprisoned she was on this little patch of rocks. The sword flickered in and out of her hand as she indecisively considered it. Finally she let the weight drop into her hand and then, she gripped the hilt and thrust the sword away from herself. It skidded across the island.

Suddenly a burst of black darkness erupted on the third rock.


	11. Dark and Light

Now's the moment you've been waiting for Ladies and Gentlemen! Melody finally meets one of the main characters. Now the story can finally get rolling. I don't own Kingdom Hearts but Melody's character is mine. Zazu is an old friend, Hunter is every person I idolize, Iago is a smile waiting to happen, and Trickster is every person I've ever met with a bit of darkness that needs to be conquered.

Face the darkness. Read on.

Scrambling to her feet Melody glimpsed Shadows in the corridor within the darkness but she jumped back at a dark form stumbled forth from the shadows. The figure stumbled and fell, dropping the still form of a smaller person from its back. As the darkness dissolved away the shadow it cast on the two forms lightened. The first person, a boy, thrust out his hand and a swirl of darkness formed around it, but with small bursts like a bulb going out, the blackness vanished and the boy fell to his hands and knees.

As the shadows pulled back Melody could see that the boy's hair was light, in fact a platinum white. Ice blue eyes stared as he breathed heavily, gasping almost as he held himself up. Melody hurried forward.

The boy froze as his eyes focused on her and Melody could see dark circles under them. Surprising Melody the boy pushed himself up and took a stance as Melody approached. If perhaps a little weak on his feet the boy was otherwise very strong willed as he pulled himself together to survey Melody.

"Who are you?" he said taking in her wrist guards and the sword a few yards away.

"My name's Melody," she said still sensing the boy's suffering. There was no point in hiding who _she _was, she really had nowhere she could go. "Are you alright?"

The boy looked at her.

"What?" he said softly.

"The Heartless," supplied Melody wondering what his expression was for. "They were all around you, I thought you might have been hurt." The memory of how he had tried to summon something just now rose to the surface in her mind. "Did _you_ summon that darkness?"

The boy sighed irritated.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered to himself. "Why is it so hard this time to summon the dark corridor? I have to get back to Hollow Bastion."

Melody looked closer at the small form still lying on the ground. It was girl with short red hair and who appeared knocked out.

"Was she hurt?" she asked. The boy turned and looked at her. Again Melody saw that many thoughts flickered through his mind.

"Yes-she's hurt," he said.

"What happened to her?" Melody asked kneeling down and inclining her head to the still chest to listen to her pulse.

"Don't!" the boy suddenly snarled. He leapt forward but Melody remained where she was. She hadn't heard anything when she listened to the girl's heart. It was as if there was nothing there. She looked calmly up at the boy as her towered over the girl, eyes flashing.

Maybe it was just her way to keep a level head in chaos, but Melody's present position gave not a second's thought of fear. She sensed from this boy the same feeling she got when she had first found Hunter in the mountains. Wild and dangerous but something, something sad and vulnerable. She saw no arrow stuck in a wing here that she could fix. Fixing things was something Melody naturally did. It was being near something so broken, something that needed someone, no matter how little, to remind them that the pain had a source. Someone has to prod the wound to know where the shaft is buried.

"Why does this girl still have her body if her heart is gone?" she asked plainly.

"What?" The boy looked at her like she had uncovered a secret and now he had to make sure no one else knew. But Melody kept on looking up at him and he had to look away.

"She never had any darkness in her. Her body couldn't be taken by the Heartless."

"Who is she?"

She didn't say "was", Melody knew of hearts stored in her sword to give her strength. Strange, she had forgotten about that until now.

"Princess of Heart.." muttered the boy looking at Melody in surprise. He raised a hand and the dim glow surrounded it again. He pointed it at Melody who took a step back. But the glow died and the boy took a step back.

"Guess you're not one of the Princesses, after all," the boy said apathetically. He turned and stumbled again.

"Are you all right?"

"Leave me alone," he said sharply. Melody stopped dead.

"Don't say that, don't you dare try that. In _your_ condition? You'll be lucky if you land on so much as a speck of island the next time you crash. Don't you ignore me when you need help."

"No one needs to help me, I can-"

"Of _course_ no one _needs_ to help you, but you need them," said Melody observantly. The boy scowled at her. She looked at him and the girl next to him.

"What's your name?" she said.

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Why do _you_ care?"

Melody sighed. That was the conundrum of the night. It seemed she always cared too much.

She gestured to the small cluster of rocks. "Are either of us going anywhere?"

"Hey, I will be going somewhere soon. So I don't have time to chat with some girl stranded in space probably because she can't fly her gummyship straight-"

"Hey I was flying it fine until Maleficent came along!"

The boy froze. His piercing blue eyes looked her fully in the face then he said:

"Maleficent?"

Oops, was that the wrong thing to say? He had been about to use dark magic. Was he part of the darkness too?

The boy considered Melody as she watched him, not looking away. The boy had to hand it too her, she was as stubborn as she was needlessly friendly. Kind of like Kairi.

The boy stopped staring and shook his head. Melody wasn't sure what he was thinking but she could tell he was busy with too many thoughts.

"If you're not going to tell me your name at least admit to that," she said.

"It's Riku."

Short, blunt, but direct. Melody could live with that. It was time to venture a guess.

"How long have you been with the darkness?"

The boy's eyes shot up to her face, looking for an accusation or an instigation of a threat. There was none, just curiosity.

"Time's too hard too tell when you're jumping from world to world. I haven't tried to keep track… Why don't you look more surprised?"

Melody raised an eyebrow.

"Darkness happens, I suppose to anyone. I've met a few different kinds of Heartless and a few different masters of Heartless. They all seem so sure of what they're doing. Why did _you_ choose the darkness?"

"You don't chose, it's not that simple. There really is no difference. You use light to save the ones you want to save, you use darkness to save the ones you want to save."

Melody looked at the girl lying on the ground. But she passed on by that thought and remembered her own choice. She had plainly chosen light. But after all, those were just words. But-

"I don't even think I _could_ use the darkness. It's not me and it's…" she stopped and thought about Iago. Had he made a choice, or was there just something in him that never let him sink completely into darkness like Jafar had? "…It's not how I would ever want things done."

Irritated the boy stood up and made the same gesture in the air. A small rift of black appeared and started to grow. His eyes hardened determinedly and he walked back over to the girl laying next to Melody. As he picked her up Melody reached out and touched his arm.

'Riku-"

He had no arrow in his wing nor was he Hunter, but Melody could feel the wild alertness and sharp power build in Riku. He might not be a hawk but he was just as not tame and not nearly as trusting as Hunter was. She saw no arrow but she could try to pull it out just the same.

"Riku, finish your business with the Heartless. Whatever reason, whatever drive you have for doing this, get it over with. It's no way to get things done. You lose chances of making new friends. And no one on that side cares about you." It was something Melody wished had been told to Hunter and Iago before they joined their masters, and most of all to Trickster.

Riku stared at her then looked away. Grimacing he started toward the black portal he had opened.

"For what it's worth," Melody called out. "I do not believe you are darkness."

The boy did not turn but Melody thought she heard him sigh.

"Hell lot of good that does."

He stepped forward and vanished in a rush of darkness.

Melody was left alone again, but now she had something to cling too. That boy who used darkness was taking that girl somewhere. Jasmine was still missing and Jafar had hinted that Maleficent wanted something to do with the princess. Riku hadn't said it loud but now it was the only lead Melody had to go by. Hollow Bastion.

She retrieved her sword from the ground. She was still trapped here but she wanted to try something. She held the sword lightly in her hands watching the heart on the hilt pulse, then she hefted it up through the air and twirled it. The small pink glow lagged behind in the air. Melody spun the sword in her hands again and this time she did not stop. A pink circle glowed in the air as the sword went round and round. Her hands were a blur as was the golden gleam of the metal and the glow of the many hearts Melody had liberated from the Heartless grew until a beam of light was thrown off the island of rock like a small lighthouse beam. If anyone, even the Heartless saw that light they would come.

Melody would be ready if it was the Heartless. She would kill as many as she could but this time she would not be afraid to ride along with one if they disappeared. She would follow the Heartless home if she had too. But she wanted to know her friends were all right.

Ignoring the pain in her arms Melody kept the light spinning, only allowing herself to bend her knees a bit so to keep the blood flowing instead of locking them. She waited as the colors of the sky faded and grew and it wasn't until a long while had passed that Melody saw two dots in the distance.

She did not slow her sword but she kept her eyes fixed on the small blue and brown specks that came closer. Farther back a red dot wobbled through the air. Her heart pounding Melody heard one of the shapes cry out and a piercing shriek cut the air. Not until the three birds were feet away did Melody stow her sword in one sweeping movement just in time to be knocked over as Zazu, Hunter, and Iago reached her.

Laughing and tears running down her face in joy Melody hugged the two birds close.

"You came," she whispered.


	12. Ghosts in Hollow Bastion

We're nearing our end only maybe four more chapters to go. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the Disney movies included in it. I do own this computer on which I penned this story. You can't sue me for that… cough- cough- on with the show!

Iago huffed and puffed for air.

"Sheesh could you pick a farther spot to fly off to. Yaow!"

Hunter cuffed him over the head with a wing and Zazu snickered. Melody stood up.

"Come on guys I think I know where Trickster is."

Taking a running start she leapt off the rock island and into open space. The birds fell into formation around her and the air shimmered as the gummyship formed around them. 

Their navigation gummy didn't show a Hollow Bastion so Melody called back to Traverse town on their communication device.

Cid's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey! Melody! Where did you go! What ship are you calling from? Leon and Yuffie have been going crazy back here!"

Melody winced. "Sorry Cid, I kinda got attacked by the Heartless and lost track of things. And this is my ship-"

"_Your_ ship?-"

"Look Cid we need some help finding our way. Do you know where Hollow Bastion is?"

Cid blinked at her.

"Hell I know where Hollow Bastion is, Leon and the gang all came from there. But look Melody you don't want to go there. That place is crawling with Heartless-"

"I know. We're going anyway. Cid it would be the greatest favor to me ever if you told me how to get there."

She faced down the screen and watched Cid's face waver.

"Jeeze as long as you can handle it, I can install the info into your navigation gummy from here. It will just take a second."

Cid walked off frame and reappeared in the background rummaging around in the parts of his shop Melody could see and those she couldn't. He eventually came back into the foreground and began to tinker with controls just bellow the monitor.

"One thing though," he said as he worked. "Promise you won't go and get killed."

Melody looked up at the screen seriously. She waited until Cid looked up at her.

"I promise," she said.

Soon after Cid had gone, leaving the new navigation gummy installed Melody examined their course. Hollow Bastion was a world that lay beyond a warp hole in deep space. Cid said that they could use that warp hole to get back to Traverse Town afterward. Melody hoped there would be an afterward.

The one girl and four birds watched Hollow Bastion grow from a reddish dot to a detailed world. Pipes and turrets crowned the world while blue water and mist obscured the bottom. Melody steered in, looking for a good landing spot. There was a broad flat piece of rock surrounded by water and she aimed for that. Not until they were very close did she realize that the water was not flat. It formed a waterfall like the side of a bowl.

They safely landed on the rock and Melody stepped out of the gummyship and looked around in awe.

This place was like a fountain except for the small fact that the Water ran upward. It would have cast rainbows if there had been sunlight shining down on this beautiful place. But the sky was overcast and gray and as the small band began to climb up the rocks Melody realize how still the place seemed once you listened beyond the pounding water.

Gazing up at the towering citadel above her Melody thought she saw Heartless crawling along the turrets and pipes. She gripped her sword firmly.

"Common guys, lets go find Trickster."

They reached a cream stoned balcony that led up to two wide doors. It took Melody a lot of effort to heave the doors inward. The heavy creaking echoed through the huge atrium within. Melody glimpsed a beautiful blue tinted room when the rushing of air alerted her to the sea of yellow eyes popping out of the shadows. Huge Heartless like the ones that kidnapped her in Traverse Town rose out of the shadowy corners and the very floor before and behind her. Melody didn't need to look farther than a few feet in front of her to realize they were outnumbered.

"Run!" she shouted. The birds bolted across the room with Melody pelting across the floor below slashing at Heartless and diving out of the way of the snapping jaws of a Defender's shield. She fell hard on some short stairs leading to the next level of the hall. A few yard away there was a rose colored door. Melody scrambled up the steps.

"This way guys!"

Halfway across the hall Iago wheeled around from a dark hallway he had been heading toward. A balloon Heartless zoomed forward snapping at him. The parrot ducked and shot toward Melody.

"Awck- You've gotta be kidding me!"

Zazu and Hunter glided down from the ceiling, another balloon Heartless inches behind Zazu's tail feathers.

Melody fell against the doors and pulled hard. Nothing.

"No NO!" Melody cried. She yanked her sword through the closest Wizard Heartless and turn to face the door. She willed herself to be calm. The hearts had helped her with the gummyship, they could help her now. She pointed the tip at the locked door.

"Come On!" The three birds hovered in he air above her Iago eyeing the advancing Heartless more and more urgently. Hunter landed on the railing behind them and glared at the shadows approaching. Zazu watched Melody concentrate.

"You can do it, Melody," he whispered. Melody closed her eyes.

For a second she had a strange image pass through her mind. A place full of light but things were flying through it flickering and flashing like flying birds. Keys of many ranges of colors and styles. Melody saw a flower key fly past her range of vision and a dark black spiky key. Then the image of one lone key filled her eyes. This one was simple. It had a silver blade and a gold handle. It sparkled before her.

Suddenly where she stood in front of the door with the Heartless baring down on her became much lighter. A laser straight beam of light shot down through the solid ceiling and hit the crack of the door dead center. There was a crack as it unlocked. Melody thrust the doors wide.

As Zazu and Iago scrambled in and Hunter wheeled past her Melody turned to face the wall of Heartless. Bringing around her sword to face the approaching horde Melody felt power coursing through her body emanating from the sword. The golden flower pulsed with a pink opal like light. The heart on the hilt pulsed wildly and Melody knew the hearts encased inside were forming this power. The power budded at the tip and then with a blast that rocked the room Melody had now entered, a beam of light, bright white, shot forth and sent the Heartless at the door either flying backward into the atrium or dissolving in a swirl of black smoke. Melody pulled the doors shut and locked them.

She heaved a gasping sigh and turned to survey the room in which they had taken shelter. Her eyes widened. They were in a library.

High shelves lined an alleyway of books of various colors and sizes. The wood cases were a shiny golden hue. Zazu flapped slowly up to the ceiling and looked over the shelves.

"Melody there is a way out on the other side of the room." Hunter flew up beside him and disappeared over the shelf line. Melody followed the shelves around corners that made the library seem like a maze. Iago slowly flapped beside her. The spot on Melody's shoulder beside her neck beneath her hair, felt empty, and she sighed as she thought of the group's missing member. The library was as still as deep space.

"There's a staircase here, Melody" came Zazu's voice from over the shelves. "It can take you up to the level with the door."

"I'm coming Zazu," called Melody. She came to a fork in the bookcase path. "Zazu where are you, I need to follow your voice."

"Over here Melody." "Screech!"

Melody took the right hand path, closer to where she heard Zazu's voice and Hunter's shriek. Zazu called out again and it sounded to Melody like they were getting closer to the staircase. Just on the other side of the next turn, it sounded like. Melody hurried round the corner with Iago behind, and stopped dead.

There was one more row of bookshelves that Melody had not guessed was there. She heard Zazu call again from behind that row but Melody did not look away from the figure that stood in the space between the shelves.

It was a hooded and caped figure, tall and the shape of a human. However the outlines were blurry and a misty blue fog rolled around the figure's form. Melody could not tell if his feet touched the floor because of the deep shadows that suddenly filled this corridor, but she would have guessed that he was floating. The darkness that filled its hood hid the features of the figure's face but Melody could not look away from the hood, because the moment Melody had seen the figure and had sensed the figure see her, she had felt as though she recognized the eyes that were hidden beneath the hood. Eyes she had never seen but had been seen by and had felt the heat of that gaze. Melody remembered the sensation of looking into the eyes of that one Heartless and feeling something very intelligent and dangerous looking through them back at her. She realized that the figure before her was the owner of those eyes and he was still watching her, judging her, and looking through her.

The cloaked figure hovered there for a moment, considering Melody, then it glided forward, past, almost through Melody. She let out a gasp, Iago squawked, but when Melody turned to look behind her the figure was gone.

Melody stood stone stiff and stared into the gloom of the shadowy book shelves behind her. Nothing moved. Zazu fluttered around the corner.

"Miss Melody what is it?"

"Who was that?" Melody whispered.


	13. The Hooded Man

Who was the dark cloaked figure in the library? What is Maleficent planning in Hollow Bastion, and what will she do when she discovers Melody escaped the rock? Where has the mysterious Riku gone? All will be answered in this next exciting chapter of good vr. evil. OR IS IT? I do not own Kingdom Hearts, not even the game, I borrowed it from a frined so I could play it. The birds helped me win it. Iago is very handy with a game controller in his wings.

Enjoy our latest installment.

"Melody, we should keep moving," prodded Zazu gently.

"Yeah, could we," whimpered Iago. "This place gives me the creeps."

Melody silently followed the hornbill up the staircase and found Hunter sitting on the banister. On the wall opposite the warm wood gave way to a stone passageway. Quietly Melody crept down the passage.

The eight eyes of the girl and birds widened as the passage lightened and they entered a tall shaft of what must have been one of the towers in the citadel. A cold blue mechanical light lit the networks of an extensive dumbwaiter system and the outcroppings of many floors leading off the tower. Melody looked up and saw that the tower stretched higher above them. Looking down she caught sight of a few Defender Heartless plodding on outcroppings below. She motioned to the birds to be quiet.

Slipping through the iron rail posts she stepped out on one elevator platform. There was a buzz of electricity, a zap of light, and a squawk. Melody saw force fields close up the sides of the elevator and turning saw Iago bounce backward from the wall, his feathers singed. The elevator began to rise.

"Guys, fly up the shaft after me!" Melody called as she was whisked up the tower in the elevator. Hunter shot up beside her outside the force field and kept pace with the elevator. The others followed but not as close, however the tower was spider webbed with force fields that walled in the balconies and outcroppings. In some places one level was sealed off from another. Melody saw Hunter veer out of the way of a wall sizzling with electricity. The birds fell back searching for a way to follow the elevator platform.

"Melody, we're going to go down this hallway and see if we can come in through a window higher up! We'll meet you at the top!"

"Ok!" Melody called back as she lost sight of the birds below her. Inside she reassured herself that she would be able to handle any Heartless she encountered in here, and that the birds would be able to handle any Heartless they found out there.

The elevator slowed and Melody was able to get off on a landing that had one dark hallway leading off it. Melody looked around wondering if she should wait for the birds here or go down the hallway. Her curious side won out and she cautiously edged into the dark doorway thinking that she could at least find a window to watch for the birds at.

After a brief period of stumbling through the gloom Melody saw the hallway begin to lighten as a dim blue colored the air. She felt that she was now in an abandoned wing of the castle that wasn't used by many people. _Or in this case,_ thought Melody, _Heartless_. She wondered at the fact that she hadn't seen any Heartless near this level but only on the lower levels. She also remembered that the elevator had taken her to this floor in particular.

All thoughts in Melody's mind suddenly vanished as she beheld the room she had just walked into. It might have been a dining room once, or the living area of a very fancy suite. There were hanging lanterns, paneled walls, and a fine wood table in the center of the room. Another room opened beyond this room where a set of marble pillars formed a doorway into the next.

But the room was neither being used at present as a dining room nor a living room. The closest Melody could put words to it was: a prison.

All along the walls on either side were niches filled with an eerie blue light. That light either was emitted or caused by bouncing off the crystal that crept up from the base of the niche and encased the forms of six girls, leaving their bowed heads free above the crystalline prison. All six seemed asleep.

Melody hurried around the table, taking in the seventh girl lying on it, but her attention was focused on one of the six who had dark black hair and blue silk clothes. Jasmine was just as still as the other girls, her eyelids gently resting closed and her mouth set in a neutral line. Melody reached out one hand to touch the strange blue crystal, but she drew her hand back. She looked around at the other girls wondering if she would set off some kind of alarm if she tried to break them free. Maybe she aught to wait for the birds.

Her eyes fell on the girl who lay in the middle of the table. Melody recognized her. It was the red headed girl that Riku had been carrying unconscious through deep space. With a sinking feeling Melody realized that he had been carrying her here.

Unlike the other girls there was no blue crystal encasing the red head. Instead there seemed to be some kind of force field around her. Melody wondered why they needed it when the girls were obviously unconscious.

Suddenly she became aware of voices issuing from the room beyond. Quickly Melody ducked down behind one of the doorway pillars. She peered out into the room beyond at the staircase the met right in front of the door, and yanked her head back behind it when she saw the foremost of the two people standing on the stairs.

Maleficent was sweeping down in all her black glory, and floating behind her farther up the stairs was a hooded figure. Melody felt chills as she saw the hooded person. By the way it stood just above Maleficent on the staircase and the way it slowly moved Melody sensed that it was the superior being to Maleficent. Apparently Maleficent didn't know it.

"At last, all seven Princesses of Heart are mine!" she said jubilantly. "Things have turned out just as you planned it, friend. I must admit myself impressed."

"Now all you need is to have their hearts reveal to you the keyhole," the figure murmured.

The voice of the cloaked figure was deep and smooth. It might have been an instruction, suggestion, or challenge, Melody thought, but the first instinct the voice enacted wasn't to question but to follow what the voice said.

"Yes, yes, the boy will be here with the last girl's heart soon. Then I can find the keyhole at last."

Melody shrank into the shadows as the pair walked into the room. Maleficent strode right past her hiding place without noticing her shape in the dim light. Melody held perfectly still.

"You do not seem concerned with the boy's presence so close to your operations," said the figure. He seemed amused.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "The boy may have beaten many Heartless before, but he has little chance of taking _me_ off guard."

"You do, of course, have a plan to deal with the girl, since she has deemed it clever to be in _this very room with us."_

Maleficent whirled around.

"You!"

There was very little Melody could do as she was, crouched in the corner facing two enemies. She started to pull out her sword but a wave of green and black magic swept her up in its power and restricted her arms from moving. She was pulled from her corner, her arms pinned to her sides by circling black flames. Maleficent looked down on her.

"Why is it," she said softly. "That every time I give you fair warning, every time I put you in danger, you ignore what every sensible girl would do by giving up! Was I not firm enough last time? Well, I'll show you how firm I can be!"

Melody was hurled across the room by the tendrils of black flame and she hit the floor hard on her side. The breath was knocked out of her, but before she could rise to her feet she saw the crackle of black magic reach out again. She never got her breath back, for Maleficent had her throat encircled with a ring of black flame that cut off all air and still squeezed tighter.

"Her birds are outside," whispered the voice of the cloaked man right above Melody. It was a wonder she could hear it, for her own gasping, thoughts wheeling, and desperate clawing at her neck filled Melody's fastly waning conscious. But the man's voice echoed as if inside her head. The gold sword spasmed in and out of her hand.

"You will not want three more voices to tell Sora what you're up to. And undoubtedly they will want to avenge the girl, unless you want to kill them first…"

Air rushed down Melody's throat and she gulped it down. She wanted to regain her senses quickly. It wasn't smart to let Maleficent call all the shots. But the restraining black fire was back, holding her in place, and as Melody regained sight of the room in focus she could see Maleficent considering her smugly.

"Why I almost forgot, Melody. You came here looking for Diablo. It would be a shame to take your heart before you got to say goodbye." There was a evil glint in the sorcerers' eye. "But I don't think I'll let you see him yet. How much better it would be if you were reunited after you've seen all the damage he's done."

Melody found herself carried along behind Maleficent as she swept into the adjoining room. Complicated machinery lined the walls but Melody's eyes were drawn to the huge pulsating heart that towered over the room. It shone with a polluted rainbow of colors.

"Like perhaps after his little pretend bird-friends are dead!" crowed Maleficent as she swung Melody high against a wall. But before she could fall Maleficent caught her in a burning beam of green light. Melody screamed and she though she heard Hunter's answering shriek from the distance. The green fire burned but it hardened quickly and changed color. As the intensity of the blaze died down Melody realized that it was hardening into the blue crystal that incased the princesses. She struggled to get away from the blaze but first the feet then her legs until she was encased up to her neck in crystal.

Although she was many feet off the ground Melody could see Maleficent's face clearly below her as the sorceress threw glances at the girl, pacing back and forth. The green witch's voice hissed as she snapped at the girl.

"Who do you really think you are, to compare yourself with me, girl." The pale green eyes slid off Melody's face and Maleficent frowned. "You never were a threat to me and yet here you are. Why haven't I killed you yet?"

Melody considered answering but thought better of it, she wanted to delay Maleficent looking for her friends.

A blast of energy took her by surprise. Maleficent was holding her staff leveled at Melody.

"I hate little heroes," she spat. "Little brats who think that they were _chosen_ to fight us. Oh it's amusing to play with them, I admit. Watch them fight as if there is a darkness and light, so that others think they are on the _good _side. But enough playing games Melody. I keep my aim and will not be distracted by epic battles of dark and light. I have more important things to do."

The witch scowled as if disgusted by something and composed herself shakily. Melody wondered if the witch found her own outburst weak. She turned and walked back into the Princess room. Melody watched until she was out of sight. Silently with a empty glance from the hidden face at Melody, the hooded figure glided after Maleficent.

Melody's heart pounded as her thoughts rushed in her head. The noise of Heartless rushing around the castle mingled with the chaos that pulsed in the giant multi-hued heart. _No light and darkness_. Then what was everyone fighting over? _Hearts?_ Worlds? What? That boy, Riku, was he darkness _and_ light? And Trickster, he had mixtures of both, so had Iago. Was the fact that everyone had a bit of light and dark in them, mean that there was no dark vs. light after all? If hearts were just sources of negative and positive energy instead of dark and light, what really was it that the Heartless was searching for in the hearts?

Melody closed her eyes. _What did the Heartless want? _The rushing in the castle made her think of the sound of Trickster's wings as he lifted off and rejoined Maleficent. _What was it that the Heartless destroyed worlds to get?_ She had fooled herself into thinking that Trickster wanted to be with her because she was nice to him. _Something even Trickster had been searching for…_

"Princesses of Heart reveal to me the keyhole!"

Hearts, Heartless, worlds, sword, light, dark, negative, positive, middle, nothing, nobody, rushing, pulsing, a heart beat, her own, and that of every Heart in her sword!

It was something she had watched in every world she visited, and with every kind of Heartless she met. Why hadn't she realized it? The Heart-less let out hearts when they were destroyed! They weren't really heart-less, they were transformed hearts that were consumed with their own darkness. Consumed with the knowledge of it, and they sought light to balance that out but they never found it, they just ate more and more Hearts, stealing them from normal creatures that still had light. A light that everyone has, what entire world's glow with because in every world she had visited there were those that believed in the light. The Heartless were searching for, what- keyholes, things that assured them that on the other side of their confused dark shadowed existence, there was light. A kingdom of light that they were trying to get to.

"Princesses of Heart, reveal to me Kingdom Hearts!"

The witch stalked back into the wide room and glared up at the pulsating heart.

"Why isn't it working!?" she snarled.

"Because the keybarer still carries the Kairi's heart inside him," came a voice. Melody stared as Riku came and planted himself in the doorway. Maleficent turned.

"Then I shall deal with him when he reaches this room. The Heartless shall extract both hearts efficiently."

"Beware how much you use the Heartless, lest their darkness consume you," said the boy, but Melody noticed his stance. It was too aggressive and domineering. His tone was condescending, but most of all, his voice wasn't the one she had heard out on the rock islands. It was exactly the same as the hooded man's voice.

"The darkness holds no sway over me, it is merely a tool to use against people who believe darkness is their ultimate enemy. It's so much easier to draw them out that way."

_And draw those who believe it is part of them in, _thought Melody, looking at Riku.

"He will not fight you here," said the-Riku-with-another-voice. "You must go to meet him in the north tower, that's where he's headed."

Maleficent looked startled and eyed Riku carefully.

"I will face him, Sora's gotten far too large of a head having faced other foes before. I shall enjoy controlling his Heartless afterward."

With one last look at Riku and not even a glance at Melody, no dobt proving that she was above taunting such a weak opponent, Maleficent swept form the hall.

Alone in the middle of the chamber Riku laughed. It was a deep low chuckled that rolled down the walls like a fault line crack, and as he chuckled darkly the crystal confining Meldoy's arms disintegrated. The floor leapt up at her but black tendrils of darkness caught her and for a moment she felt the crushing grip of the force that held the darkness. The voice spoke.

"I was hoping to meet you sooner."

Melody looked up at the boy.

"You aren't Riku."

"No, I am not." For a moment Melody saw a yellow gleam in the ice blue eyes, like they had stared at the moon for too long and still held its glow in them. "I am Ansam the seeker of darkness!"

"Ansam? The man who was researching the Heartless?"

"It was I that created them."

"You _ruined _the world the day you did that!" The ferocity with which Melody said those words startled even her, but Ansam laughed.

"Go ahead, tell me what makes you say that?"

"You created creatures that could never rest, that would have a tortured existence from the moment their original body was destroyed to the moment the captive heart is freed."

"Such is the power of darkness. It never fades away. And it can multiply until there is a Heartless for every person in the universe. There is so much darkness in these worlds so much raw material, the Heartless will never have lack of food."

"You're twisted! How can you wish that on the universe!?"

"And you do not wish everything was light?" Melody stood staring at the dark smirk Riku's body gave her.

"I know you are as fascinated with light as I am with darkness," he said and Melody's spine crawled. "I knew when I saw you through my Heartless's eyes that you were. You said you chose it, you befriended the pets of your enemies in the name of it. I know how you watched the hearts of the Heartless drift off into Kingdom Hearts."

_They don't,_ thought Melody,_ they are right here in my sword._

She looked around the room for signs of the Heartless, but the room was as empty as before. She shivered. Now she knew why there had been no Heartless up here. The true Master, in these quarters, needed to assistance. The Heartless themselves were frightened of this man. They were made of darkness, but _he_ was a lover of darkness.

"What do you want with me," Melody demanded. She stared into the moon yellow eyes.

"I was inclined to see what the argument was. What a seeker of light could possibly see in the world to believe in _light._" He laughed again.

Melody took a step forward.

"The world is light! It's why Iago and Hunter and Trickster cared about me, it's in the moments when everything is at peace and you're with friends! _You_ just haven't seen it!"

Ansam moved like a viper. His gloved fist clenched Melody's arm and twisted it until she gritted her teeth and sank to the floor in pain.

"You are a fool, Melody. For you've seen the world's darkness and fought it and seen how it steals back those once tied to it. Your raven returned first, the others will follow. You lose whatever power you have in that sword by denying the universe's true nature. Kingdom Hearts is _darkness_," he hissed. He let her arm go and she clutched it as it ached from the strain he had put on it.

"Go kill Maleficent," he said.

Melody looked up at him.

"What?"

"I have no further need for her, that's what I brought you here for. Sora and I must meet here, so you will go and remove the witch from me. I have no use for someone who is losing their judgment because they do not understand the darkness in their own heart. She is a fool who does not understand the epic qualities of a battle between dark and light. She must fight you and it serves my purposes for her to."

Melody stared at him. There was something manic in the way his yellow eyes gleamed, all trace of Riku's cold ice gone. Melody stood up. Part to her felt horrible revulsion at this man and another part somehow knew she had to do what he wanted anyway. Longing to stay and fight for light against this madman, she turned and walked toward the dark doorway.

She had a score to settle with Maleficent.


	14. Lost Hearts

The blue-lit tower of the elevator shaft was empty of Heartless when Melody came out. She wondered which way was the north tower. She rode an elevator down and then walked down a passage, looking for a window to judge direction by.

Melody stopped. Although the rushing of the Heartless' movements was absent there was the noise of something moving. Melody could hear several pairs of footsteps and voices approaching. She shrunk back into the shadows as the voices came nearer.

"Gawrsh it sure is dark up here."

"Like so many other parts of Hollow Bastion."

"Awck, what, do you guys make a _habit_ of wandering down dark hallways or something? We could be getting ourselves into some kind of danger!"

Melody froze. She knew that voice!

"Iago!"

The figures halted, but a different voice called back, "Miss Melody!"

"Zazu?"

She ran forward and three shapes flew out of the gloom. Iago landed on her shoulder as Hunter and Zazu swooped around her.

"Jeez girl, could you _make_ it harder for us to find you. I'm mean really, this is a big castle!"

"It looked like these guys were pretty eager to find you."

Melody looked up. A boy of maybe thirteen walked up, smiling at Iago. Behind him was an oversized duck in wizard's robes and a tall doglike fellow who was staring off into space with an absant smile on his face. The boy had spiky brown hair that shot off in many directions, and bright blue eyes. But it was the boy's sword that drew Melody's attention.

"Oh," she said. "I guess you're the keybearer."

The Keyblade was silver with a golden yellow hilt. The boy held its weight with ease.

Zazu flew forward.

"Melody, this young lad and his friends helped us find you. This is Sora and Donald and-"

"And that one's the Goof! I have no problem remembering that!" chortled Iago.

"Goofy!" said Zazu with a glare at the red parrot.

"Scree!" cried Hunter from where he stood on the stone floor next to Donald. The duck jumped at the noise and shook his staff at the hawk.

"Hey!"

Hunter hissed.

"Why you-"

"It's okay," said Melody. "He's just wondering if I found Trickster yet."

"You can understand him?" asked Sora his eyes wide. He seemed unaffected by the huge castle or the shadows that had Melody wishing longingly of the deserts of Agraba. The boy seemed down right perky. "Because we were wondering why the other two could talk and he couldn't. I'd actually like it if Iago talked less."

"Hey!"

But Melody wasn't paying attention. She was wasting time and what was worse she had completely failed to confront Maleficent on Trickster's account. The sooner they got up to where the witch was waiting for Sora the better.

"Actually I know where Maleficent is," she said. "She's in the north tower."

"Hey if you guys know Maleficent we could come with you," offered Sora. It sounded like he was offering a favor, not voulenteering to go fight a dangerous battle against a tough foe.

"Yeah this guy's really good with a sword," said Iago sarcastically. "See how blunt and dangerous it is? I'm sure the Heartless just flee in terror at the sight of it!"

"They do," Sora said defensively. "When I use the Keyblade I lock the keyholes the Heartless use to get into the different worlds."

Melody looked quickly at Sora.

"Does the keyblade also _open_ doors?" she asked.

Sora shrugged.

"Yeah, sure. There were some locked doors in Traverse Town that only I could open."

"Do you think it could open a door without you knowing it?"

"What do you mean?"

Melody stared at the Keyblade, her eye's wide. She realized that she had seen the key before.

"A little while ago we were being chased by Heartless and we came up to a locked door. But when I focused really hard, directing my thoughts into my sword, I _saw_ your sword for a second, and this white light came out of the ceiling and unlocked the door!"

"Gawrsh Sora that musta been when the Keyblade sparked like that."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were walkng up here," said Sora. "The Keyblade lit up for a second, and I felt something pull away like when I lock a keyhole. But nothing happened afterward, so I forgot about it."

"Wow," said Melody softly. She stared at her sword and the Keyblade. _I wonder what made my sword and the Keyblade connect like that?_

"Well if you're looking for Maleficent, we'll help you. She did something to my friend Riku and took Kairi just like she took Alice."

"And Jasmine," added Zazu with a pointed look at Melody. Melody gasped.

"Guys I saw Jasmine, and a lot of other girls! They're upstairs incased in crystal!"

Sora's eyes widened.

"Was there a red head one?"

"Short straight red hair. Yeah, she was the one laying on the table."

"That's Kairi! We have to rescue her!"

"Maleficent's not in there though. Ans- Wait! Did you say you know Riku?"

"You Know Riku?!" Sora stared at her in amazement. "You have to show us where they are!"

"I can't," moaned Melody. "I have to go find Maleficent, and if I go with you she'll get tired of waiting and come back down here and then we'll have to fight _both_ of them!"

Zazu looked at her concerned. "Both of whom Melody?"

"Both Maleficent and that other fella," Goofy said matterafactly. Everybody stared at him.

"How'd you know that Goofy," asked Donald.

"Well somebody's got to tell the no gooder to do no good," smiled Goofy. "And Maleficent's been round long before the King thought it was bad enough to go look'in for the keybearer, so she wasn't the reason."

"That's the lamest reason, I've ever heard," said Iago.

"But he's right," said Melody. "There was another guy, and Sora-" She looked at the boy worriedly. "He's waiting for you."

"He is?" asked Sora. Melody was coming to recognize that wide-eyed look. Melody nodded.

"He said he wants to face you in the room upstairs. He captured me but he let me go so I could get rid of Maleficent for him."

"Oh," Sora said looking down. Melody didn't know what to say.

Suddenly the boy smiled brightly up at Melody.

"Well at least he is where Kairi is. I bet we can take him! And then I can finally rescue Kairi!"

Melody stared at his wide grin. How could this kid be so cheery?

Melody pointed to the elevator he needed to take up.

"You sure you don't mind us not helping you with Maleficent?" Sora asked as he, the duck, and the goof stepped on.

"It's alright," said Melody from the corridor. "I think we need to hit her now or never and you need to find your friends. I hope we see you afterwards."

"I'm sure we will, we're friends right?"

Melody smiled worriedly as the elevator rose out of sight. She turned with the birds and headed in the opposite direction. Iago chuckled nervously then said teasingly:

"Wow kid, being around that little ball of sunshine makes you look about as fun as a hole full of Heartless- Oh wait! _That's_ what we're going into!"

"Shut _up!_" said Melody shoving the parrot off her shoulder. But she smiled for the first time in a while. For however young and immature that kid seamed, there was something about Sora you couldn't help liking.

The path to the north tower took them along the perilous outer balconies where the Heartless that were afraid to visit Ansam's tower, had no qualms on residing in and attacking anyone passing by. When their little band finally reached the soaring reaches of the north tower Melody's momentary good mood had lapsed. She stared up at the dark doorway that led into the tower and then took a deep breath. She had something to say.

"Guys," she said to her friends. "You don't have to come in here with me. It's my fault that Maleficent hates us and I'm the one who dragged you along on my dangerous mission, whatever I thought I was doing back then. But I'll completely forgive you if any of you decide not to come. I-"

Zazu interrupted her.

"Miss Melody! Don't try that kind of nonsense on us! You seem to forget that the Heartless took my home world too."

"Zazu I didn't mean _that_, just-"

"And you needn't forget that Maleficent has kidnapped one of our close companions, and I don't think any of us believe that Trickster is guilty."

Hunter shrieked in agreement.

"We _are_ with you."

The three of them looked at Iago. The parrot shrugged.

"Well sheesh, if everybody's going off on this little hero fest, who am I to stay back in Heartlessville?"

Melody's mind settled. It was confirmed. They were going in to face Maleficent and they were doing it together. Melody turned and walked into the dark doorway.

The moment it took for her eyes to adjust to the darkness was enough for Melody to feel her heartbeat speed up considerably. She had never considered her own death before. She had tried so long and hard to save her friends and the worlds that they lived in. She still had someone to protect but she realized now how close she was to death herself.

Melody stepped into the dim green light of the inner tower. The fixtures were spiked and gothic, rather thorny in appearance, entirely different from the pastel brickwork of the rest of the castle. On the other end of the hall-like chamber the horn crowned figure of Maleficent stood up. The witch peered across the room as Melody came into view. No doubt she had been expecting Sora and his friends. As Melody slowly appeared through the gloom, the witch's luminous green eyes narrowed more and more. Then they opened wide.

"Impossible!" she declared staring as Melody met her gaze. But Melody chanced one glance around the room, freezing when she saw a spidery shape that could only be a birdcage in the gloom off to the left. She took two steps toward it and stopped and looked at Maleficent. Eyes narrowed again as she watched Melody, Maleficent closed her eyes and shrugged.

"Very well Melody, I admit it, your friend's return to me was my doing alone not out of loyalty. But I'm afraid, all the same, you shall not take Diablo back!"

Maleficent raised her hands a green glint from the ceiling made Melody look up and dive out of the way and the birds scatter. Out of nowhere they were bombarded with meteor-sized pieces of rock that floated in the air long enough to seek out wherever Melody landed like homing projectiles.

Narrowly avoiding being hit Melody jumped out of the way of another rock fragment and was showered in shards of stone. She looked around in alarm to find out if the birds had gotten out of the way. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw Zazu purposely flying straight toward Maleficent.

"You're aim, Madame, is quiet frankly the worst," the hornbill stated, drawing the witch's attention away from Melody for the moment. He dodged out of the way as Maleficent send a rain of stone in his direction. As Zazu was distracted Maleficent turned to find Melody again. Melody heard Iago mutter from somewhere nearby:

"Sheesh, if I'm not dead by the time this is over, I'm gonna give that blue guy a piece of my mind!"

The parrot fluttered into the air and rocketed past Maleficent's frame of vision drawing it away from Melody. The witch wielded her green flame after the parrot and with a cry Hunter entered the fray from above. Iago pulled out of the way of the flames easily as the hawk broke Maleficent's concentration again.

"hwo, thanks for that Shunter."

Melody ducked down low and skirted behind a pillar, working her way back towards where her enemy was. She ducked behind a pillar close by the witch as she turned furiously around again following the trail of one of the bids streaking by her face while she scanned the gloomy room for Melody. She hissed as she failed to ward off her winged attackers or locate the girl.

"You dare attack me? Me! You'll suffer my wrath you foolish girl. You are a insect which _I will now crush!"_

Melody looked around in surprise as a familiar caw echoed in alarm from the other end of the room. For a moment Melody took her eyes off of Maleficent to stare down the room into the shadows of the cage. Trickster, her friend Trickster, exactly as she had left him, stared out of the shadows at Melody. For a moment their eyes met and all Melody wanted to do was fling the cage door open and hug her ebony-feathered friend again. She took two steps out of hiding and toward the cage, but another warning caw made Melody realize that Trickster was very disturbed by something that was occurring in the swirling mass of fog behind her. She turned away in horror as Hunter, Zazu, and Iago coasted out of the way of a high wall of green smoke where Maleficent should have been. She exchanged glances with the three of them as a rumbling shook the floor and something began to take form and sprout outward from the column of smoke.

First a black form appeared in the middle, twisting and convulsing. Then the ground cracked as the huge weight of the thing in the smoke touched down in midst of it. The ground broke and crackled even more as four clawed legs pushed outward and gripped for placement on the stone floor. A long jet-black tail thrashed outward gouging a hole in the wall and then wiping around, creating another. Out of the billowing smoke that began to dissipate with the movements of the tail, a long neck lowered itself down toward the floor.

The snout was long and hooked and a pink tongue flickered out of the mouth lined with sharp fangs, but there was no mistaking the two curved horns.

Maleficent leered down on Melody and the birds. Her dragon form left very little room in the chamber for Melody to move to, and even as the dragon took a step toward the girl the huge sides of the beast scraped against the pillars lining the walls causing several to crumble and fall to the floor. Hunter and Zazu had to dive out of the way. Melody suddenly wished that she too could take to the air. The situation might not then seem so bleak.

"_Now_ do you think you can compare your might to _mine_?" the witch snarled, smoke wisping from her nostrils. "You can't possible hope to defeat me now!"

"Not true," Melody said, staring up into the fanged and leering face. "You're just a bigger target."

She drew her blade and lunged at the dragon's belly and leapt aside as Maleficent sent a vicious snap of her jaws at the girl's form. Melody rose again to her feet as the birds swooped in from above to peck at the dragon's head. However they seemed to have no effect on the witch's attention this time. The birds might have been as minute as knats flying around her head.

As Melody tried to continue towards the huge dragon body Maleficent took a large step toward the girl. The piece of floor she stepped on crumbled under the great weight and a whole section of the ground slide downward and away to collect at the witch's feet. Melody suddenly found herself sliding backward away from this crater as the rest of the floor near the rear of the tower started to fall loose of its groundings. Melody slid backwards back towards Trickster's cage. Maleficent tried another snap at her withdrawing quarry but Melody met her with a slash of her sword. The dragon reared back with a hiss from the scratch to her nose.

Melody hit the wall beside the bid cage and Trickster cried out in concern to her. When the raven saw that Melody was for the most part unharmed he cried out more sharply.

Somewhere nearby Zazu called out urgently:

"Miss Melody, he says Maleficent cannot be killed because she has placed a bit of her power elsewhere. He says as long as that other part is safe she will come back!"

"Little worm!" hissed Maleficent crawling toward the wall where Melody stared through the bars at Trickster. "I had originally used him to protect my memory. I was sure his cowardice would ensure that at the sign of danger he would flee and I could live on in the bit of my soul placed in him. But when you little meddling fools showed up the little twit suddenly didn't seem as protective of his own life anymore. I decided to take him back and with him, retrieve my piece of soul."

Melody stared through the cage bars at Trickster, reaching out a hand to place on the raven's head. She felt so sorry for him. No wonder it had been so hard for him to turn away from Maleficent, and no wonder he was always so shaky. He had a bit of the witch herself inside him and he knew one day she would come to get it back from him once he deserted her. Melody stroked the raven's wing reassuringly.

"How sentimental," Maleficent's echoing voice bore down on the two and the dragon drew herself up before them. The huge glowing eyes had no pupils so they beamed down like two spotlights on Melody and the raven.

"Fortunately I have no more use For Either Of You!"

Melody didn't think about what she was doing, she just made the motion to store her sword as if she was putting it in a scabbard rather than just letting it disappear, and wrapped her arms around Trickster's cage as a huge jet of fire shot out of the dragon's mouth and enveloped the two of them. Melody faced inward shielding the cage's occupant as best she could from the roaring green and hot yellow flames. She never squeezed her eyes shut for fear, but kept them trained on the wide white eyes of the raven.

But Melody realized that the flowing fires around her did not burn, although they wrapped around and melted the back bars of the cage. Looking around in shock Melody realized that her sword had not vanished as she thought it had, but remained in the crook of her elbow, its petals emitting a shimmering pink shield. It wrapped around her form and through the bars of the cage to enclose Trickster in its protective grasp. The force of the blast of fire however, pushed them back to the rear wall where the fire had been able to burn a hole right through the stone. Melody held trickster even tighter through the cage as the two of them were forced horizontally out into the overcast light of outside. Melody heard the dragon's shriek of rage witnessing the girl's still living form fall outside the hole in the tower as the three birds swooped out to follow her.

Melody released Trickster as they started to plummet, letting him pull himself out of the wrecked bars of the cage back and out into the free air. She fell away as the raven pumped his cramped wings and became airborne. But soon the others fell in beside her in formation, extending the force field that made up their ship to surround the girl as well.

The entire ship did not solidify but their decent did slow so that the five of them were able to drop down into the watery trenches beneath the castle. Settling in through a fissure in the ceiling the birds broke formation a few feet from the ground and Melody dropped softly onto the cold stone floor. A quick look around revealed the catacomb style of sublevel basemen corridors.

The rumble of stone above them brought with it the rest of the north tower. Chunks of rock splashed in the shallow puddles that speckled the stone floor. Among the falling rubble was the darker silhouette of the dragon following them down.

Melody backed into the tunnel nearest and the birds covered the fallen rock nearby, conserving energy and awaiting Maleficent's move.

An explosion near the ceiling took them by surprise and the next thing Melody heard was the thunder of more falling rocks. The basement darkened and Melody could tell that something was blocking the light from the fissure above. Soon she realized though, that is was not the dragon but fallen parts of the tower that had sealed them in below. And that, although the tunnels were too small for her dragon form, Maleficent was down here with them.

Melody wanted to call out to her birds but knew that the reason they weren't already doing the same thing was because they all were unwilling to give away their positions to the enemy.

Melody waited in the dark, pressing her back up against the stone wall and started edging along it, not sure if she was heading down a tunnel or into the open chamber. There was a familiar rushing noise ahead of her and Melody saw the disembodied orb-like eyes of Shadow Heartless arising out of the floor.

Melody knew the Shadows were following the sent of her heart despite the dark. Her sword still clenched in her hand Melody took one leap toward the Heartless and slashed left and right. The Heartless shattered into the darkness. Melody heard the shifting of rock and sensed someone moving from the opposite direction. She had been going down a tunnel after all, and there was only one other person down here who needed to walk along the floor.

Melody crawled to a wall and began edging away from the noise at the end of the tunnel. She found an opening that was a doorway into another chamber or hallway and slipped around the frame, listening.

She heard ragged breathing and the soft footsteps were uneven. Melody wondered how much energy it was taking Maleficent to change from sorceress to dragon and back again and then summon Heartless. She wondered if the birds would hear the noise from her brief fight with the Heartless and the noises Maleficent was making and come to help fight her. Suddenly Melody was concerned with what would happen if they all started to fight with no idea where there was an enemy and where there was a friend. Melody was listening so hard that she almost jumped when Maleficent's voice came from near by.

"So this is how you choose to fight me, girl? Using darkness as your ally. Striking in the dark. I might have guessed as much. It is what I would have done, gifted with the power of the hearts as you are."

Melody froze. She was almost sure Maleficent's voice had come from right in front of her hiding place, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to strike out of nowhere. It seamed unfair.

Why was she hiding though, anyway? She had a weapon, she had light and the hearts on her side, and she seamed to have more strength left than Maleficent anyway. It wouldn't really be like killing her, the witch still had that piece of herself stored away. But then, she _would_ come back…

Melody then knew that she would have to find that piece too, otherwise Maleficent would be free to come back and do more evil things. But Maleficent wasn't the source of all this trouble with the Heartless after all. The trouble, the missing worlds, the Heartless; that would not all be set right with the witch's death as they might have believed. But Maleficent had done Melody a great personal harm when she had stolen Trickster back, didn't Melody owe it to him to make sure Maleficent would never terrorize him again? Didn't she owe it to every heart that had been lost because of Maleficent sending Heartless to their worlds. Every heart in her sword was there for a purpose. Was it to rid the worlds of Maleficent? Or had she gotten it wrong… Should she have stayed and fought Ansam, when he had obviously been the most evil, the biggest threat? Had she left Sora to fight an enemy worst than Maleficent?

For once Melody wondered whether she really deserved the powerful sword she had been given. She didn't know how to properly use its power, she only ever used it to help herself. To help her friends, to help Trickster and Iago get a second chance.

Did Maleficent deserve a second chance too?

Unbidden something Aladdin had said back in Agraba floated into Melody's mind-

and she dropped her sword to the floor with a clatter.

"_If I did things only because I had the power to_-" she whispered. She took a step out into the hallway. "I can't forget what I owe to others, even you Maleficent-" She heard the witch turn toward her a few feet away.

"If I did, Maleficent, I would be just…like…you- argh!!"

"You foolish girl, only you would throw aside your weapon to try and change _me_," said Maleficent, withdrawing the sharp end of her golden staff from Melody's chest. The burst of purple black light that shot out of the wound right over the girl's heart as the Darkness shot below the surface to claim her, illuminated the two of the for a moment. Maleficent scowled for a moment then turned to walk away. Four winged shapes detached from the shadows.

Melody was sinking in darkness. She felt a familiar resonance with this place. As if she had visited it before- in a dream. She wondered if she should close her eyes and sleep. The temptation was strong, but there was something interesting above her and she wasn't falling as fast. Far above there was a dim light, like through dusty glass, and it flickered as if broken by wings. Melody's half closed eyes strained to see past the flickerings to the ever-distancing pane of light. Was there a design on the glass?

She stretched her hand up and again experienced the sense that she had been here before. The light, though, was becoming harder to see, not because it was getting farther away but because more things were passing in front of it, making the light less seem to flicker but more to flash, now and then. Melody let her hand fall, annoyed with the things blocking her vision.

"No Miss Melody, you must reach for me! I'm finding it hard to reach her!"

"Well then stretch further Banana Beak! I'm all stretched tight up here!"

"That's because you're afraid to lean in too far!"

"Chree!"

"Caw!"

Melody's eyelids fluttered and she began to focus on what little light there was to illuminate the dark shapes above her.

"Za-zu?" she mumbled. It couldn't be. Zazu was shaped like a bird. The closest shape was feathered but the wings stretched toward her like Zazu was trying to use them as hands and his tail didn't end in it's brush, there was something reflecting light there, like a beak.

Melody's eyes strained in the gloom to understand the shape. Eyes watering from the strain she recognized the shapes of her friends. All of them, stretching down from a few feet above her: Zazu at the bottom, reaching out with his wings, Trickster with a fast grip on Zazu's tail with his beak, Hunter's wide wingspan stretched out with the tip of one wing grasped in Trickster's talons and the tip of another held far above by a red shape that perched on the edge of a space for a missing pane of glass in the window above. There was not a breeze, but Melody's eyes stung and ran as if she was facing head first into the wind. Suddenly the memory of the past minutes hit her.

"How can you guys be here?! I lost my heart!"

"Not yet you didn't," called Zazu. "It hadn't left your body before we followed the darkness in after you!"

"But that would mean you'd lose your hearts too!"

"Not me," came a far away squawk from Iago. "I'm tying ya to the outside. _I'm_ not going into that sticky, yucky _darkness_!"

"We weren't going to lose you," said Zazu. "Unless we went too!"

Melody's eyes weren't just watering anymore. Tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled to reach out her hand again. It fell just short of Zazu's outstretched wings.

Melody could see the strain in his eyes and Zazu tried to reach his wings farther out. Melody flailed, afraid she would fall to far back for help if she stopped reaching at all. She stretched out her fingers and grasped a feather. Zazu cried out in pain and horror as the feather came loose and Melody slipped away. He dove forward. Trickster lost hold of the hornbill's tail for a moment and had to lung after it to grab hold again, yanking Hunter forward. There was an angry squawk from above as Iago fought to maintain some hold on the glass surface. But feet below Melody held Zazu's wings tight in her hands.

"Iago, pull us back!"

"Oh, easy for you to say! You're not the one pulling up a whale with a fishing rod!!"

Melody squinted her eyes as she was pulled up toward the light. The shadows thinned away and then as though waking from a dream of light into a dark bedroom, Melody was again in the dark. She thought maybe they were back in the tunnels beneath Hollow Bastion but the deep silence of the dark void still hung in the air and the musky smell of the catacombs had not returned. She and the birds looked around the empty space around them. Melody could see the birds perfectly but the ground and sky around them either did not exist or were completely black.

"Where are we Iago," asked Zazu.

"Hey, don't ask me! Last thing I was doing was sitting next to Melody on the floor waiting for you guys to come back out. Or maybe I was with you guys in this big dark place where we were trying to reach Melody, I'm not sure which one I believe. But next thing I knew we were all here."

"Maybe we couldn't escape back to where Maleficent-" Melody paused. For the first time she was seriously considering what had happened to her.

"Maleficent killed me, didn't she? She sent the darkness straight to my heart. Why didn't I lose my heart?"

"Well Miss Melody, I'd like to think that we got hold of your heart before it could leave your body. Or we went into the darkness to fetch it back."

"Then what happened to Mal-Maleficent…" Melody was staring off intently into the distance. The birds strained their necks looking around in the same direction.

"Well, speak of the devil," whistled Iago.

Several yards away as easily visible as if she had been standing in bright daylight, Maleficent stood with her back to Melody and the birds, watching something further off.

As Melody took a few tentative steps up behind the witch, off ahead of them a beam of light, white and powerful, shot into the sky. A rumbling was heard after it. Melody was watching it, surprised, when the Maleficent spoke.

"He opened the door to Kingdom Hearts," she murmured. Melody looked at her. "It's _light_," the witch remarked disgustedly.

"_I'm_ not surprised," said Melody. Maleficent cast the girl a scathing look.

"Of course _you're_ not. You probably think everything is light. That's most likely why you were chosen by it."

Melody shook her head.

"I wasn't chosen by light to make everything light," she said. She thought of Ansam and shivered. _I know you are as fascinated with light as I am with darkness_. "I think- it's more about giving the Heartless back their choice…" Melody watched as the distant light pulled back and faded. Maleficent scowled.

"Well, don't think that you can change me, girl. You tried that once, remember?"

Melody was calm as she looked up at the witch.

"Are you going to try to kill me again, Maleficent?"

Another scowl.

"There is not much point in it now. The boys have sealed Kingdom Hearts now, and I must start anew from nothing."

Melody looked out into the darkness where the bright light had been. _The boys?_ Were Sora and Riku out there, somewhere?

Zazu came to stand on Melody's head, looking at Maleficent.

"Well then Madame, I do not mind saying that I hope we never run into you again." The little bird fluttered himself. "For _your_ sake."

"Yeah." Iago came up beside Melody. "Seeing as we almost kicked your butt last time, you don't want to go making _us_ mad."

Trickster perched on Melody's shoulder and gave Maleficent a long straight stare. He did not tremble at all.

Maleficent gave the birds a disdainful looking over and muttered as she turned away:

"Fools."

But there was some resignation in the way the witch turned her back on the girl and four birds. Melody sensed something like respect as the witch tucked her chin and walked purposely away from the little group. Melody smiled.

Suddenly a tremor shook the ground. Melody stumbled and looked around as the birds came in closer, Iago and Hunter landing by her feet.

'What's going on?" said Melody in alarm as the sound of crackling rock filled the air.

"Something in this world is breaking up," called Zazu. "Melody, I don't think we should be here!"

But with nowhere to start running and no ground visible anyway the most the little group could do was huddle close together, Melody kneeling close to the birds on the ground. Gritting her teeth in anticipation as the crumbling noise grew stronger, Melody drew out her sword and held it protectively over their heads. They squeezed their eyes shut and held still.

The quaking grew stronger until Melody felt that her teeth would come loose in her head. Wind whipped around their forms and the birds tucked their heads in further to Melody's little ball of protection. Slowly though, the tremors lessoned and when Melody finally thought it still enough to look up and out at the world, the environment around them was very changed.

They were no longer in a wide dark place, but an open field of green grass stretching out into a hilly landscape were green leaved trees grew scattered about. Melody uncoiled from her friends. Iago took in the view.

"Sheesh, when did we say we wanted a one way pass from nowhere to someplace completely different?"

"I say, where are we Melody?" asked Zazu, looking out at the stretching sea of green.

"I don't know Zazu," said Melody. Hunter whipped into the air to stretch his wings and circled high above them.

"I'm not even sure what we should do now. Maleficent said the door to Kingdom Hearts was closed, isn't that what they were all looking for?"

"Melody, look!" Zazu said suddenly, pointing. In the distance they could see a campfire trailing smoke up into the pale blue sky. Hunter gave a shriek from above and Zazu turned to stare at Melody in amazment. Melody however stood fixed, making out three forms grouped around the distant fire. The light was clear enough and her heart was telling her sure enough, that she didn't need to hear Zazu say:

"Melody, you're not going to believe this, but it's Sora and the others!"

Melody laughed out loud and smiled to her friends.

"I guess they made it out okay, and I'm guessing we don't have to worry about Ansam any more."

Iago waved impatiently to get their attention.

"Well ya know, as much as I like hanging out in strange new places like this, what do you say we go and say hi, instead of hang out up here where who knows what kind of Heartless, or witch, or darkness, or who knows what can swoop in out of nowhere and get us!"

Melody grinned at the parrot and smiled at Zazu, Hunter, and finally Trickster on her shoulder.

"You're right Zazu," she said, a warm glow bubbling up inside her heart.

"Let's go say hi."

"_There was no movement in the air, no sound but her own breathing. Just white light on one side, and heavy darkness on the other…she turned to face the sheer white brilliance, and closed her eyes. And stepped backward." -Terry Pratchett in Carpe Jugulum_

Ending Credits

So there it is folks. To took a long time coming, but we finally reach the end of Kingdom Hearts I, Melody's story. I'm sorry it took so long but the chapters finally caught up to where I was in the writing process and I was determined to finish with this chapter. I will now be spending the next few months exploring Melody's next adventure, writing as much as I can so that when I start posting it I will be able to update weekly again.

If anyone would like to e-mail me, I would love feedback on this story and my writing so that improvements can be made in the next few stories. I will leave it up to my viewers whether to continue under this story title or make the sequel a separate story on . Write in and tell me what you think.

CopyRight: is not mine, never was mine, belongs to the owners of Kingdom Hearts, this chapter was no different except for the quote, which is not mine but Terry Pratchett's, and in no way owned by Disney.

Thanks, to my readers for checking back so often, thanks to Arch Dragon and Lily Argetfricai for Favoriteing me, and thanks to Forgotten in Darkness, and The Unwritten Cullen for being Alert to my posting.

The birds would like to send out their regard to other fanfiction authors who tend to their characters and Iago would especially like to thank Aldea Donder, the author of The Just Rewards and would also like to yell at them for not posting in a long time.

For a guide to the chronology of this story as it matches up to Sora's, read the next chapter.

Now for a sneak peak Trailer of our next installment.

Castle Oblivion loams over the landscape.

Voice: The girl's here too. The one with the birds.

Riku turns around startled. He faces Melody and the birds.

Melody: So you got out safely too?

Riku: I'm not sure about safety.

Melody: What do you mean?

Riku: Melody, I have a darkness inside me…

Melody's eyes widen.

Shadows wash over the polished white floors.

Melody dives out of the way of a Heartless attack.

The Maleficent dragon snaps at a group consisting of Sora, Goofy, Donald, Melody and the birds.

Melody: What is this place?

Xexion: It's a place for finding things. We're very interested in finding _you _alive.

Hooded figures stare down a white marble hall, watching Melody and Riku walk down it.

Larxene(to Axel): Get the sword! It's not like we need the girl.

Axel: You know, once this is all over the Oragnization's going to have to open a menagerie for your friends.

He takes a step toward Melody and his spiked spinning disks snap into his hands.

Melody: I've forgotten so much already.

Iago flaps in the air in front of Melody, a red glow surrounding him.

Iago: Is it bad enough hooded freaks are after us, but _now_ we gotta go forgetting stuff too?!

Zazu shudders as a blue glow surrounds him. The birds express their surprise as they each begin to glow.

Melody: What's happening to us?

Sora: I have to save Namine!

Xexion: We don't know the powers that sword could have.

Zazu: Melody, we _have_ to go on!

Melody: I'm _not_ losing any more memories.

Larxene crackles with energy, laughing manically.

Melody swings her sword down in mid air above Xexion, it is caught with a black keyblade.

Axel claps his hands.

A Neo Heartless leaps from the floor.

A chain flickers into life and then fades away on the hilt of Melody's sword.

Chain Of Memories

#2 in the _Wing, Heart, and Sword_ Quartet


	15. Chronology

This is to clear up any confusion as to where Sora kept coming and going from, also how melody's story ties into the rest of Sora's journey. Be warned KINGDOM HEARTS SPOILERS. I don't own Kingdom Hearts by the way.

Chronology of Wing, Heart, and Sword

(Sora's story line will be in plain type, Melody's will be in _Italics_)

Sora meets Donald and Goofy in Traverse Town and they head out on the _Highwind_ to find Ansam Reports, Riku, and Kairi

_Melody loses her world and arrives in Traverse Town_

Sora visits Wonderland and witnesses Alice be abducted by the Heartless

_Melody visits Land of Dragons and meets Hunter_

Sora returns from Wonderland and brings with him an Ansam report, he leaves Traverse Town shortly after

_Melody returns to Traverse Town and learns of Sora, Hunter joins her and they head out on their own in a gummyship_

Sora visits Olympus

_Melody visits the Pride Lands_, _befriends Zazu and witnesses the Pride Lands being lost to the darkness, Melody believes that Simba lost his heart that day_

Sora reaches Deep Jungle

_Melody returns to Traverse Town for two days, the first she spend befriending Trickster, and the second she attempts to meet Sora in the magician's house, she is intercepted by the Heartless_

Sora returns from Deep Jungle on Melody's second day in Traverse Town, they visit the magician's house and the Fairy Godmother gives them Simba, locked in a red gem, to help them

_The birds follow Melody into space and break her free_

Sora defeats the Armored Guard in Traverse Town and leaves

_Melody pilots their new gummyship to Agraba, where she saves Jasmine and is welcomed into the palace_

Sora and the gang bypass Agraba, which is on a different orbit than the other worlds, and gets swallowed by Monstro

_Prince Ali arrives in Agraba, Melody and he get captured, and the fight with Jafar leads into the next morning_

Sora visits Halloweentown

_Melody returns to space and rests up with Iago now part of the crew_

Sora and the gang visit Atlantica

_Maleficent shows up and sends Melody wheeling through space to a little rock island off of Neverland_

Sora arrives in Neverland and Riku leaves the ship with Kairi, convinced that Sora and the others are still trapped in the brig fighting Heartless

_Melody meets Riku, weak from traveling from Neverland without a vessel, he leaves her and continues to Hollow Bastion_

Sora reaches Hollow Bastion and confronts Riku at the entrance, Riku, Donald and Goofy leave, the front door of the castle is locked, Sora with Beast now enter the catacombs below the castle and begin to work their way up

_The birds find Melody on her island and they fly to Hollow Bastion_

Sora unlocks the front door from the inside and faces Riku in the front hall with Donald and Goofy, they head off to the elevators to find a way to the upper floors

_Melody arrives in Hollow Bastion and enters through the front door where Heartless force her and the birds to take cover in the Library_

Sora is forced to work his way up a floor at a time, heading toward the lab

_After Ansam visits them, Melody and the birds leave the Library and Melody rides the elevator directly up to the lab alone_

Sora is still on the outer balconies working his way up

_Melody is captured by Maleficent and as Maleficent attempts to open Kingdom Hearts with the princesses, Ansam slips away_

Ansam finds Riku frustrated from his loss to Sora and convinces him to give control of his body over to Ansam

_Opening the door fails and Ansam appears now in Riku's body which Maleficent fails to recognize _

Sora meets Zazu, Iago, and Hunter outside on the balconies and they agree to search for their friends together

_Maleficent heads to the North Tower while Ansam talks to Melody_

Melody and Sora meet a few floors down from the lab and Melody heads to North Tower while Sora goes to face Ansam in Riku's body

_Melody faces Maleficent and Dragon Maleficent in the tower_

Ansam has revealed himself to Sora but Sora wins the fight, releasing Kairi's heart within him Sora slips into the darkness, the now complete door to darkness pulses out of control

_The battle falls below the castle and no one notices the rumblings of the open door because of the falling rock_

Sora returns to the world alive and seals the door to darkness, he and his friends leave for the End of Worlds

_Melody loses her heart and the birds must follow her into the darkness to bring her back_

Sora and Ansam face off, first on Riku's account then for their lives, Ansam opens the door to Kingdom Hearts and the beam of light emitted from it destroys him, Riku appears on the other side of the door and he and Sora close it together

_Melody and the birds escape and they and Maleficent witness Kingdom Hearts opening and closing from far away_

Sora and Kairi promise to see each other again as the breaking ground separates them, returning Kairi to the island and Sora to the grassy plain

_The breaking ground sends Melody and the birds away where they end up in the same place as Sora_


End file.
